


Daemontale S2 Detached Life

by merlinfrostE



Series: Daemontale AU [2]
Category: His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman, Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alpha souls, Daemons, Daemontale AU, Dark, Expanding on Sans' role as judge, Expanding on souls, Other, Poor Sans, Racial tension towards monsters, Sans and Caellian are in for a wild ride, Sans and Papyrus are twins, Silver Guillotine, Soul traits named after virtues, Toriel is everyone's mum, Twin bonds, Unethical experiments on daemons, darker, yet darker
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-03-01
Updated: 2017-06-01
Packaged: 2018-09-27 14:31:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 48,631
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10025723
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/merlinfrostE/pseuds/merlinfrostE
Summary: Monsters have reached the surface but things are not as they hoped. Racial tensions are growing and war seems to be just around the corner. Sans and Caellian are desperate to prevent the war to keep their family safe but when they are given the chance they must make a tough choice. Leave their family in the hopes of saving them all or staying and risk the complete eradication of monster kind.And when Monsters start vanishing only to re-appear without their daemons Sans and Caellian are suddenly thrown into something bigger than they anticipated. And what are these shadow like creatures with milky-white eyes?





	1. Don't get to close, it's dark inside

**Author's Note:**

> It's finally here everyone, Daemontale season 2!!!! And guess what, I'll be doing weekly updates again on Wednesday's. This season will be longer, more action packed and filled with hidden secrets so I hope you all enjoy.

When the day finally arrived for monsters to return to the surface, it was a small group that went first made up of Asgore, Toriel, Undyne, Papyrus, Sans, and Frisk. Frisk and Chara went to the humans first, Sans and Caellian closely shadowing them from afar so as not to be seen. Surprisingly, it didn’t take much convincing to get the authorities and influential members of the city to follow Frisk to the top of the mountain where the rest of their family was waiting. After introductions were made it was quickly decided that monsters would be revealed to the rest of the world through a TV interview which was held a week after the first meeting. Once that happened, the relocation began as a small town was built at the edge of the human city for the monsters while peace treaties were arranged to discuss concerns that were springing up on both sides.

It went about as well as expected. The humans had practically screamed murder when they first saw the small convoy of monsters heading down the mountain towards them. It didn’t help matters at all when they saw Caellian either, calling both him and Sans demons sent straight from hell to kill them all. It was both amusing and hurtful so Sans chose not to say anything at all. Caellian snapped his jaws a few times before he too fell unnaturally silent on the matter. Thankfully, Asgore and Toriel stepped forward to start their diplomatic talks, asking for a meeting with the heads of parliament so that they could all reach a peaceful agreement. Within three days of their request the King, Queen, Papyrus, Frisk and Sans were all crammed into a room with five smartly dressed humans that had stern and wary looks upon their faces.

The one seated at the head of the table was a man by the name of Rowan with a beautiful and elegant Sumatran tigress sitting beside him, her honey golden eyes scanning every other daemon in the room with a cold calculating glare. Out of the five humans there was only one female and her name was Ashly and she had an emerald green tree snake draped over her shoulders, his tongue constantly scenting the air around them. The other three humans weren’t much of a threat nor did they hold Sans and Caellian’s attention for very long. Their daemons were a carrier pigeon, German Shepard, and a St Andrews cross spider. The man with the spider daemon was partially interesting, not many monsters or humans had spider daemons, but they proved to be rather dull and predictable so Sans and Caellian ignored them.

“You must understand; humans have grown up hearing the horrific tales about the war that nearly ripped both our species apart. They are wary and frightened,” Rowan stated, right hand resting gently upon his daemons head.

“We understand perfectly. We monsters have also grown up hearing those tales.” Asgore said, Emer, crooning in agreement. The room was a bit of a squeeze for her but thankfully, because Caellian had been coming along to this meeting the humans had been forced to accommodate for his much larger size. All Emer had to focus on was making sure no one touched her massive wings that could stretch out to an impressive wingspan of 5.5 meters. 

“Then you will also understand why there is such a high level of mistrust between all of us at the moment,” Rowan said carefully. Sans could see why he was in charge out of the humans. He handled situations carefully, assessed everything before speaking or making a decision. He was a man of strategy and patience and when Sans looked at the man’s soul he wasn’t surprised to see the light blue colour of patience shining through mixed with purple perseverance. Ashly was a yellow justice soul while the other three were a mix of orange bravery and dark blue integrity and rusty red recklessness*.

“It is because of this that we have arranged these meetings, so we can reach a peaceful agreement that will benefit both sides,” Toriel added into the conversation.

“Yes, we want to be friends with the humans, not fight with them.” Papyrus declared loudly while Amarisa barked happily along with him. Rowan and Ashly smiled at the taller skeletons excitable nature while the other three humans sent him mistrustful glares. It had Sans and Caellian on edge, they didn’t like people looking at their sibling like that.

“I’m sure the rest of humanity would like that too.” Ashly smiled, her snake daemon hissing softly from around her neck.

“How do we know that we can trust you, though? How do we know you won’t turn around and attack us when we let our guard down?” The man with the spider daemon asked suddenly, brown eyes narrowed at all the monsters in the room. Asgore and Toriel gaped at him in shock and Papyrus floundered for a suitable answer. Sans felt that is was about time he said something.

“The reverse is just as likely if not more probable. After all, it was you humans that locked us underground for hundreds of years and started the war in the first place.” He spoke up, eye lights focused on the human that had spoken up before. The man jerked back, his eyes flicking up to look at Caellian who was looming over Sans’ shoulder like death itself. His spider daemon wasn’t as brave as him however and scurried to hide in his coal black hair.

“A-And you are?” The man asked, voice shaking in fear which had Sans smiling widely, something that looked very unsettling when his eyes gutted out into pitch black pits.

“Sans the skeleton, and this is Caellian.” He introduced, the Blaster giving a low growl in greeting as well.

“Caellian? Isn’t that a male name?” The man with the German Shepard daemon questioned.

“Really, we hadn’t noticed? Thank you for pointing out the obvious.” Caellian huffed, feeling quite pleased when he saw the three unnamed humans jump in shock and fear. 

“What even is he? I’ve never seen an animal like him before, real or mythical.” The man with the carrier pigeon daemon asked warily though he also seemed generally curious. 

Sans scowled at his words, feeling indignation fill his body at these humans saying that Caellian wasn’t even a real daemon. “He’s what’s known as a Gaster Blaster, a Draco Calvariae Lacerta to be precise.”

“I have never heard of that before.” Spider man snipped.

“We made the name up.” Caellian huffed, jaws curling in a smile at the way that man flinched backwards at being addressed by someone else’s daemon while all the other daemons began to hiss, growl or shriek at him. The German Shepard was growling aggressively now while the carrier pigeon was flapping and shrieking loudly in protest.

“Enough!” The tigress daemon belonging to Rowan roared loudly, glaring at her fellow daemons who had the decency to look ashamed by their reactions. “Show some respect and if I ever hear you or see you showing such prejudice against another daemon again I promise you that you will not enjoy what comes next.”

It was silent for a moment before the three daemons nodded, the spider having to peek out for a moment to make sure the tigress saw that he too understood. She glared at them for a moment longer before turning her honey gold eyes to Caellian and Sans who were just watching on in curiosity.

“I apologise for their reaction and I’m sorry if it caused offense.” She said softly. Sans tilted his head at her while Caellian hummed in thought.

“What’s your name?” Sans asked, ignoring all the looks his question got. He didn’t care if he wasn’t supposed to talk to other people’s daemons, he wanted to know. The tigress herself didn’t look offended by his bluntness, just surprised.

“My name is Brighid.” She spoke softly while Sans and Caellian smiled at her answer.

“Named after one of the triple Goddesses of the Celtic pantheon,” Caellian said. Brighid blinked at his words while Rowan gazed at the pair of skeletons with his calculating eyes. His eyes were a steel gray, framed by soft brown hair and sharp cheekbones. 

“You know your names I take it?” He asked.

“We made it our business to know,” Sans answered.

“So what does Caellian’s name mean? I only ask because I have never heard of it before.” Rowan was staring directly at Caellian now, his gaze unflinching and unwavering. The Blaster hummed in thought while Sans just smiled.

“I assure you that his name is written down somewhere. You just need to know where to look.” Sans smirked while Rowan smiled down at the table. Brighid looked at Sans, then to Caellian before she smiled, the first smile they’d seen from her since they stepped into the room.

“Well, from what I’ve seen, you monsters aren’t the horrors from the stories I grew up with so I think we can work something out,” Rowan said happily.

“Sir, are you sure about this?” The man with the carrier pigeon asked worriedly, still sending frightened looks to Caellian.

“Positive Andrew. But I think we will put in some temporary restrictions just to appease the public and show them that we are still looking out for their wellbeing.” Rowan stated.

“What kind of restrictions are we talking about?” Asgore questioned while sending Sans a side glance. The young skeleton nodded silently to the King before facing the humans once more.

“A curfew that will state no monster to be out after 6 PM or before 7 PM. We will also set up a few monster free zones so the public will feel safer but we will also set up a few human free zones for your own protection as well. We will also set up more meetings, some that will be televised so that the world will see how we are going about this and I’m sure that in a few months we’ll be able to loosen up on these rules when people see you all for what you are.” It was all factual and straight to the point, it was everything Sans had said it would be. This was why Asgore and Toriel agreed to the terms without a fuss.

As they were walking back out of the building, Ashly leading the way, Rowan reached out and placed a hand on Sans’ shoulder. The small skeleton tensed under his hand, Caellian snarling in warning while Brighid just stared up at him. Most would have taken the hint and removed their hand from Caellian’s other half by now yet Rowan just smiled, hand remaining firmly upon the skeleton’s shoulder.

“I was wondering if we could have a moment?” Rowan asked. Sans looked at his retreating friends, looked at the now empty room before glancing up to his other half. Caellian stared at the human with narrowed eye sockets, still rumbling in warning but he nodded all the same. 

“A moment.” Sans relented too. He followed Rowan back into the room, Caellian settling back onto the floor to allow Sans to lay against his side. “What do you wish to speak to us about?”

Rowan sat down at the table, Brighid curling up at his feet but not closing her eyes. She continued to stare at Sans and Caellian, never letting her guard down. While most would find this offensive with such little trust being given to them Sans and Caellian respected her for it because it showed she wasn’t stupid.

“We’re just curious about you is all,” Rowan stated which had Sans sending Caellian a wide-eyed look of confusion and slight fear. No one was curious about them in a good way, they were either feared or if someone was curious it was in the painful scientific way. Brighid, however, saw Sans’ terrified look and gave a worried rumble.

“Calm child, we wish you no harm. We only want to speak.” She spoke soothingly, honey gold eyes showing only honesty and kindness. Caellian still curled his front legs around Sans in a protective way, still eyed them warily, but he was no longer snarling aggressively.

“What do you want to talk about?” Sans asked. 

“We’re just curious because you’re not like other monsters of humans.” Rowan began which had Sans pulling a face.

“We know we’re different, no need to point it out.” Sans huffed angrily. Rowan raised an eyebrow while Brighid chuffed softly in worry.

“What we mean is that you see the world differently to humans and monsters alike,” Rowan added. That had Sans and Caellian pausing, eye lights watching the human and tigress in confused wonder. 

“How do you mean?” Sans asked. The human smiled, hand resting on top his daemons head while his eyes looked Sans up and down.

“You look and observe other people and their daemons, something people and monsters just do not do. But why don’t other people do this? Is it because it’s considered rude to scrutinize another’s soul? Or perhaps it’s because we are afraid of what we’ll find when looking at a soul. Either way, you don’t care about these social conventions. You’ve made it your business to know what species a person’s daemon is as well as what their name means.” Rowan explained.

Sans blinked in surprised as he processed everything the man had said. What he said was true, not many monsters or humans took the time to study daemons other than back a few centuries ago when they wanted to understand what different settled forms meant. Now it seemed everyone thought it too invasive to looking into the study of daemons. When Sans had been young he had been fascinated by daemons, their forms, their names and even why children’s daemons were able to change shape while adults couldn’t. Papyrus hadn’t cared about their odd hobby, everyone else had. It was just another thing that separated them from the rest of society. 

“Why are you telling us this?” Caellian snapped, voice full of mistrust. 

“We just want you to know that we’re on your side and that we understand,” Rowan said evenly.

“Are you really?” Sans questioned, eye lights flickering down to the man’s chest where his soul sat shining the light pale blue of patience. Yet now that Sans was closer he could see the faint wisps of purple, perseverance and funnily enough there were shades of gray as well. The gray confused Sans, he’d never seen it before in his life and wasn’t sure what it represented. He could feel Caellian’s wariness at this information but they remained silent.

“I guess you’ll find out eventually.” Rowan smiled before turning to the door. “Ashly, please escort our friends here back to their group. I’m sure they are very worried.”

Ashly was back, her emerald green snake hissing softly in her ear as she waved Sans and Caellian over. The Blaster stood, nudging Sans with his muzzle and shielding him with his own body, narrowed eye sockets locked on the male human and tigress.

“Oh and Sans, I must say I am impressed. Your friends are all idiots that won’t last long unless they wise up. You, on the other hand, are very intelligent and wise. After all, the wisest decision you’ve made so far is not trusting anyone, even me.” Rowan called just before the door shut behind them. Sans blinked once more, Caellian huffing in nervous worry while Ashly just gave them a tight-lipped smile.

“Come, your friends are waiting.” She said before leading them down the hallway. Sans made sure they were always three paces behind them so they wouldn’t hear him talking to Caellian.

“We need to be careful Caellian, this is a much bigger game than I anticipated and the rules are vastly different from the underground,” Sans muttered to his other half.

“I think your right dear one. We must watch our backs and keep our family close and safe. After all, I’m starting to think if we’d have been better off staying under that mountain.”


	2. My Haunting Memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More meetings are arranged and Sans and Caellian begin to wonder if they have bitten off more than they can chew. And when Toriel starts digging into things better left unsaid, Papyrus and Amarisa have to step in to make sure their twins are feeling safe and grounded.

Many monsters chose to stay underground until things on the surface calmed down which Sans felt was for the best. The humans were still very opposed against Monsters returning and integrating with them and some were already advocating for a new barrier to be put in place. This meant that Sans and Caellian were constantly being summoned to meetings, most with Rowan and some with new faces. But one thing remained constant and that was Sans and Caellian were always present for these meetings, more often than not just being silent spectators with the occasional voiced input. They both knew that they didn’t need to attend every single meeting but they felt like they had to or they would miss something of importance. Rowan was right about them after all, they like to observe people and their daemons, it helped them to understand and judge them better.

They were also no closer to figuring out what Rowan’s soul meant. His patience was his biggest character trait with perseverance not far behind. However, neither Sans nor Caellian had ever come across a gray soul before. All monsters had white in their souls but that was their magic, gray was something they had never seen and they had seen many different coloured souls in their life and job as the Royal Judge. They had seen indigo souls that represented commitment and pink souls that demonstrated compassion. There were lime souls that meant creativity and maroon souls that showed dignity. They had found emerald green souls that spoke of faith and pale pastel blues that emitted forgiveness and even magenta souls that screamed honor. Sans had even found a monster with a mustard yellow soul that symbolized humility and a golden soul that could only be loyalty. The only soul that came close to the grey of Rowan’s was a silver soul and they represented modesty. Somehow, though, Sans didn’t think that was a trait that expressed who Rowan was.

Today was another boring and dragging day of meetings, arguments, and debates. Poor Asgore looked so ragged as did Emer, her once beautiful golden feathers now dull and unkempt. Her silver eyes were shadowed by lack of sleep and just spoke of how done she and the King were with the whole situation. Asgore himself had large bags under his eyes while his deep brown jacket was rumpled and creased, his dark blues jeans looking very much the same. Rowan was once again sitting in on the meeting but hadn’t said much, preferring to sit back and watch the humans and monsters talk (or shout) about their problems.

“Please, we need more protection. The protestors are getting very close to the temporary town you set up and I fear for the elderly and children’s safety.” Asgore begged but the other humans weren’t having any of it. A man with a gray falcon daemon sniffed distastefully at Asgore while his daemon ruffled her feathers.

“We can’t possibly spare the resources, we have much more pressing matters that need their attention.” He said. Sans scoffed from where he sat making all eyes flicker to him and Caellian. His own eyes drifted down to stare at the man’s chest and his soul that glowed marron of dignity. Looking at his clothes showed he had a high sense of self, dignity, but that also meant he wasn’t as sharp-witted as Sans could be.

“So you are telling me that having your men patrol a park is more important than preventing another war that could have global consequences as well as major public backlash when people find out that you refused the needed resources that could have prevented it?” Sans spoke evenly, never meeting anyone’s eyes yet making sure his voice held a commanding tone that showed he knew what he was talking about. He smirked when he heard the room fall silent, no one really knowing what to say to his point which let him know he’d done it right. When his eye lights flick up to look at the group he wasn’t surprised to see Rowan giving a smirk of his own.

“Are you threatening us with war?” A woman with her hair tied up in a very tight bun and a praying mantis daemon snapped. Sans felt Caellian shake with silent laughter and had to fight the urge to laugh as well.

“Of course not, that would be terribly rude and brittle-boned of me.” Sans chuckled. “I’m merely telling you that if humans eventually attack us monsters we will defend ourselves. However, you humans won’t see it as self-defense. You’ll take it as an act of war and start the whole thing because you are the type of creatures to shoot first and ask questions later.”

“Now see here you little freak!” The man from the first meeting with the carrier pigeon daemon shouted suddenly, chair flying as he stood up quickly while he swung his fist at Sans who jerk back quickly, eye sockets widening in fright while Caellian roared in fury. For a moment the meeting room was in a panic, people, daemons and monsters yelling and screaming until Brighid gave a loud ear-splitting roar.

“I think that’s quite enough Andrew. I want you to leave right now and take a few days off until you have your head on straight. And if I hear of you striking out at a monster ever again you will be finding yourself without a job.” Rowan growled coldly before turning to Ashly. “Please escort Mr. Hillman from the building Ashly.”

“Yes, Sir.” The man didn’t try to argue against Rowan, just bowed his head and followed the woman from the room. While this happened Asgore rushed to Sans’ side. It was only him and the skeleton today and he felt terrible for endangering his Judge and friend. Everyone now knew of Sans’ 1 hp and Toriel often questioned if the skeleton should be going to these meetings. He was fragile and still very young, too young in her opinion to be caught up in political affairs. 

“Are you alright?” Asgore asked, gently resting his hand on a trembling shoulder. Sans smiled weakly, trying to calm his racing soul while Emer crooned worriedly up at Caellian.  
“I’m fine your majesty.” In truth, he wasn’t fine. When the man, Andrew, had swung at him Sans hadn’t just feared for his life. He’d seen a flash of the angry face of his father, Gaster, as he too swung out at his young son. The man’s mongoose daemon leaping out to bite and claw at Caellian. Then there was that word Sans had to deal with, freak. It was one he wasn’t really accustomed to hearing. Sure, monsters were prejudice but they weren’t cruel. They never used such words on him and if they did they were normally young teenagers with not much sense. Something about the fact that a fully grown adult had called him such a thing struck deep inside of Sans, something that was painful and raw.   
Caellian snapped his jaw softly beside Sans’ head, a gurgling growl bubbling up from deep within his chest. The small skeleton nodded silent to the unspoken question and settled back into his seat ready to continue with the meeting.

“I apologise for Andrews behavior and I promise you that I will be looking into it personally.” Rowan bowed to Asgore proving that he wasn’t as ignorant as the other humans in the room. 

“I appreciate your concern.” Asgore nodded back at the human yet he didn’t move from Sans’ side. The smaller monster sighed tiredly knowing that when he went home he’d get an earful from both Toriel and Papyrus about safety and respect. Asgore wouldn’t dare keep this event secret from Toriel who was beginning to turn into not just Frisk’s mother but Papyrus and Sans’ as well. Sans liked to say she was everyone’s mum, that if she could she would mother the entire world. 

“Now I am sure we can spare a few men to patrol the town and I’ll make sure they are specially picked so none of them hold any ill will towards monsters,” Rowan said while looking through some files on his desk. The other humans shuffled unhappily yet didn’t dare speak up against him, especially with Brighid standing threateningly be his side. “If that is all then I think we can call this meeting to a close.”

Everyone stood and nodded respectfully to each other and allowed Asgore and Sans to leave first. The king kept a firm hand on the younger's shoulder, guiding him down the hall and out of the building while Emer and Caellian kept an eye out for any humans wishing to cause trouble. Sans could see humans stopping to stare and point, especially at Caellian who barely paid them a moment’s notice. The stares were odd; they weren’t like the ones they got underground. They were still fearful, but they were also curious and much more judging. The word ‘freak’ echoed through his skull once more and suddenly Sans didn’t want to be there anymore, he wanted to be back underground where everything was simple, normal and predictable. He watched as the golden string that connected him to Caellian flared with life, transmitting his thoughts and feelings to his other half. He watched as Caellian tensed momentarily before using his massive body to shield him from view, preventing the humans from seeing and whispering.

“I think that could have gone better.” Asgore suddenly spoke up startling Sans out of his dark thoughts.

“In what way, we got what we wanted.” Sans frowned up at the King. They went to that meetings to get extra protecting for the monsters living on the surface and they got it. How could it have gone better?

“You nearly got hurt, Sans.” Asgore pointed out sadly and angrily.

“Humans aren’t the most level headed creatures out there your majesty. It was bound to happen eventually.” Sans shot back trying to make the King see that this was something that couldn’t be helped nor prevented. The humans were angry and untrusting of monsters and rightfully so, both species had once been at war so tensions were going to be high for a while. Andrew lashing out at him, while sudden and frightening at the time, wasn’t wholly unexpected. 

“You are still young Sans and will be until you have children of your own. You’re still a child so I should protect you. It should have been me that was attacked.” Asgore growled but Sans knew he wasn’t angry at him; the King was angry at himself. 

“You can’t protect everyone Sire and you can’t shield me forever. I’m your Judge so I have to be there. That and while I may be physically a child, mentally I don’t think I have ever been one. I lost the chance at a childhood a long time ago.” Sans said in a low and detached voice.

“Whatever do you mean?” Asgore asked worriedly. 

“Has someone been hurting you?” Emer snapped, her silver eyes looking up at Caellian in concern.

“People have been hurting us since the day we entered this world. It’s the price we pay for being different.” Caellian hissed at the griffin who flinched away at his words. Asgore was staring at Sans in a way that left him feeling very stupid. He shouldn’t have said that shouldn’t have spoken about his childhood but with that memory of Gaster so fresh in his mind, Sans hadn’t been able to help himself.

“Sans –”

“Just drop it Asgore.” Sans cut the King off while also using his given name, not his title, something the short skeleton normally didn’t do unless they were having a relaxing family day at the house with the others. Emer trilled softly, wings flexing and looking like she wanted to comfort both him and Caellian but she seemed to think better of it, letting them walk a little ahead of them back to the little village the humans had set up for monsters about a week ago.

Not many monsters were living there, many opting to stay underground for their own protection. However, the dog squad, Grillby, and a few others had moved up and were slowly adjusting to the surface life. Grillby and Aoife were by far the happiest to be on the surface. The fire monster and phoenix seemed to have more life in them now that they were under the real sky. One the rare nights where Sans and Caellian were free they would walk over to the fire elements house and sit out on his back porch and listen to him and Aoife point out all the star signs in the sky. Other days Sans would take a quick trip down to see Muffet who was setting up her new bakery store. 

Muffet and her daemon were interesting. Her Daemon was a Coyote named Jabari whose name meant keeper of treasures. Her soul was also interesting, a maroon and dark green soul which meant her dominant traits were dignity and greed. While she could be self-centered she could also have moments of intelligent and meaningful conversations. She got an array of customers, both human and monster and her spiders were always listening to the latest gossip coming in. With the right price, Muffet was more than happy to transfer the information her spiders had gather to Sans who found it all very interesting. The little snippets of information helped Sans and Caellian to better understand the humans and even how the monsters felt about this new situation. 

Today, however, Sans just wanted to go home, back to his twin and friends who had become his family. Like always, Frisk was waiting for them by the front door that was as red as their determined soul. Chara was sitting beside her as a tabby cat, a form she had been favoring lately and the form Chara, Frisk, Sans, and Caellian were sure she would settle into. Frisk jumped up when she saw Sans and was quick to pull him into a hug, Sans flinching despite himself.

“What happened?” Chara asked not even trying to beat around the bush. Caellian had to give the other daemon credit when it was due. She was highly observant and knew that if she wanted answers she needed to be direct and straight forward.

“Just a little speed bump is all, nothing that would rattle my bones,” Sans assured the daemon who scowled up at him. 

“No puns, we can always tell when you’re lying or having a bad day.” Chara snapped, body rippling until she was a small white hare with black tipped ears, her blood red eyes still ever present. Sans had found it odd that Chara’s eyes were always red but had learned to accept that it was just a part of who she was. It was probably the same as Caellian when they were younger, his eyes had always been a glowing cyan after all. 

“The meeting just got a little heated is all, one of the humans got a little carried away,” Sans stated vaguely which caused Frisk’s brown eyes to widen in shock.

“They didn’t hurt you did they?” She asked worriedly.

“Nah, your dad was there to step in if need be, and I had Caellian so I was fine.” Sans lied. He’d made the mistake of putting himself in the firing line, made the mistake of getting too close to the angered man that he knew held a grudge towards monsters. It was a mistake he wouldn’t be making again. 

“Well, that’s good to hear.” Frisk smiled before gently taking his hand in her own, tugging him towards the back of the house where a beautiful view of Mt. Ebbot could be seen with the sun setting behind it. “You promised to tell us about the star signs that Grillby has been teaching you.”

Sans smiled and watched as the sky slowly grew darker, the little white diamond like lights slowly appearing within the night sky. He pointed out Scorpio and Orion first seeing how they were the first constellations Grillby had ever taught him. They were by far his favorite seeing how they held a lot of sentimental value and they were extremely interesting. They spend a good two hours out there, gazing at the stars while Frisk and Chara talk about the things they’ve learned in class about space. When they hear the call for dinner Sans assures Frisk ahead of him, preferring to stay and watch the stars for a moment longer.

“It’s a big world,” Sans muttered once they were alone.

“It’s a bigger universe,” Caellian added on.

“It never seemed so big back in the underground.”

“We’d never seen so much of it back in the underground.”

It is silent once more as the two skeletons gaze at the inky blackness stretched above them. It's peaceful yet there is an ominous undertone. Sans wanted to enjoy the surface, enjoy his freedom but he cannot. Tensions are growing among monsters and humans, mistrust and hate between the two races slowly starting to get out of hand to the point where riots and violent protests are starting to spring up. Sans himself had heard the profanities shouted at monsters by humans, had seen the hateful slurs spray painted upon buildings and seen how many families that had been so happy to move to the surface packed up their things to return to the underground. 

“If we don’t act soon, there’s going to be a war.” Sans looked at Caellian to see the Blasters reaction. The dragon-like beast glanced at him before nodding his massive head.

“It’s what they want, they want a war because they know they will win just like last time,” Caellian growled. 

“We won’t survive this one,” Sans spoke up suddenly. “The humans won’t make the mistake of letting us live a second time. They will slaughter us all. Men, women, children and the elderly will not be spared. If war is started it will not be a war but a genocide.” 

Caellian rumbled, shifting from where he was crouched beside his other half while his eyes watched their fractured bond. It was healing, slowly, but with all the stress they were enduring it was healing much slower than it had been in the underground.

“And how do you suggest we prevent a war? We’ve never been in a war and we are still struggling with being thrust into political disputes. We are but children compared to the King, Queen and even that old turtle. Grillby and Aoife have been in warfare, not us. What do you expect us to do?” Caellian demanded. 

“Figure out a way for peace without causing bloodshed and mass genocide.” Sans snapped right back. Caellian looked like he was going to respond only to growl and swing his head towards the back door when it creaked open. Standing in the doorway, silhouetted by the light from inside was Toriel and her snow leopard daemon Conchobar. The former Queen no longer wore her old purple and white robe. She had now traded it in for a lovely sky blue dress with a white jacket over the top of it. Standing in the doorway, Toriel and Conchobar held themselves with purpose but their eyes betrayed the emotions they were trying to keep hidden. 

“Hello Sans, I grew worried when you Caellian didn’t come in for dinner.” She spoke softly.

“Just wanted to watch the stars for a moment longer your majesty,” Sans assured her and watched as her face scrunched up at the title. While she and Asgore were slowly repairing their relationship, she was still slightly angry and distant from him.

“You don’t need to call me that Sans, we’re friends.” She said instead of getting angry at him.

“You are a Queen; it is customary to use titles.” Caellian rumbled.

“We are still friends.” Conchobar huffed, ruff standing on end.

“More like our mother.” Caellian snorted right back. Toriel flushed crimson at this and looked away while Sans flinched and glanced to the side.

“Don’t be rude Caellian.” He muttered softly.

“I’m sorry if I have caused offensive with my mothering actions. It’s just, you’re still a child and I don’t want to see you get hurt and you shouldn’t be out on your own, neither you or your brother.” Toriel said. Sans looked at her curiously, feeling Caellian shuffling beside him with nervous energy. 

“It’s alright Toriel, I’m just not used to it is all. I never had a mother or a father really so it’s just strange.” Sans offered up. This just seemed to make the goat-like monster more upset.

“You shouldn’t have to not be used to it.” She whispered before pulling him into a tight hug. Sans tensed, never having been used to physical contact unless it was from Caellian or Papyrus. “I spoke with Asgore and Emer as well. They told me what happened today.”

And that just made Sand even more worried. Toriel was protective of everyone, especially Frisk, Papyrus and himself seeing how they were the three youngest members of their family. She wasn’t going to be happy about what Andrew did at the meeting, Sans was even worried she would go out and find the poor man to have a stern word with him about messing with one of her ‘children’. She seemed calm enough though so Sans felt a little more at ease.

“It was nothing really, just got a little out of hand and I was careless.” He muttered softly only to have Toriel click her tongue in a warning like fashion.

“While I am upset about what the man tried to do to you today that’s not what I was talking about.”

“Oh.”

Now Sans felt his anxiety returning full force. He really should have just kept his mouth shut when Asgore began to pry. Perhaps he should have legged it back to the underground to hide out until Toriel had calmed down and decided not to go digging for information. He squirmed in her hold, signaling he was done with being held and touched and was relieved when she finally released her hold on him. She didn’t, however, let him back away, keeping him firmly in her sights.

“Sans, you said you never knew your mother.” Toriel began, Conchobar standing stiffly beside her while his steel gray eyes bore into Caellian who snapped his jaws threateningly. 

“What about your father?”

It was a conversation Sans didn’t think he was ready to have. To be honest, he didn’t think he’d ever be ready to have the conversation. The facts were he barely remembered Gaster, he refused to call that horrible monster his father, but he remembered pain, fear and a feeling of utter hopelessness. He remembered Gaster’s weasel daemon hurting Caellian and him, remembered how Gaster had messed with his soul when he discovered how powerful his magic was. He remembered all of this, yet he could never picture Gaster’s face anymore. All that came to mind was a tall figure, dressed in a white lab coat yet their head seemed to be surrounded by mist and fog. 

“Children?” Conchobar’s deep soothing voice broke through the half-remembered memories that threatened to overwhelm him. Sans turned his white eye lights up to lock with the snow leopard’s steel gray ones before moving them to Toriel’s deep maroon ones. 

“We don’t remember him,” Sans said before standing to walk into the house.

“Sans, please.” Toriel pleaded. He paused briefly in the doorway, Caellian hunching through the door before a deep scowl crossed his young face.

“We don’t remember him.” He repeated before walking into the house, grabbing his plate and teleporting himself and Caellian into the room they shared with Papyrus. It was just a temporary house so everyone was sharing for now. It was funny seeing one side of the room perfectly clean and tidy while Sans’ side was in disarray and chaotic. 

He set the plate down on the bedside table before picking up a book on quantum physics, quickly falling into the world of atoms and photons. To most, science wouldn’t help to calm them down, but to Sans, it was safe and predictable. Everything could be explained through science and through science things had formulas and set rules that could never be broken or bent. Caellian doesn’t bother to read over his shoulder tonight, instead preferring to curl up on his own large bed that was placed in the corner while Sans settled down on his own. The small skeleton isn’t sure how long he sat there reading, only knowing he stopped when he felt a gentle hand landing on his shoulder causing him to flinch away from it. Looking up finds the concerned gaze of his twin, Amarisa whining softly by the taller male’s side.

The pair had changed a lot since first coming to the surface. Gone was the battle body Papyrus had been so fond of and in its place was a very simple outfit that suited him very well. He now wore a white T-shirt with a red hem and sleeve collars accompanied by long black jeans. He still wore his ever-present red boots and scarf though which somehow brought comfort to Sans whenever he saw his twin. 

“You weren’t at dinner and Toriel said she may have upset you. We were worried.” Papyrus said as an explanation as to why he was suddenly there.

“Just didn’t feel up to socializing tonight.” Sans apologized while moving over on his bed so Papyrus could sit down beside him, both brothers pressing their backs against the wall and gazing down at the book but not really reading.

“The King told me a man tried to hurt you today, among other things.” Papyrus ventured carefully. The younger of the twins hummed to acknowledge the other, for a moment refusing to look up from his book. When he did, Sans looked tired and far older than he was.

“Do you remember Gaster?” He asked warily. Papyrus blinked in surprise before he gave a hesitant nod. 

“I know we were only five when he died but I can still recall some memories of him.” Papyrus said before looking down at his hands sadly, “I remember he wasn’t very nice to you or Caellian.”

“I remember as well,” Sans admitted. “But I can’t remember his face.”

“His daemon, she was a gray weasel,” Caellian growled while Amarisa curled up next to him and gave a growl of her own. 

“Morana.” She snarled and the name had all of them tensing. Papyrus because he had always remembered it, Sans and Caellian because they had forgotten but recognized it. “Her name was Morana.” 

“A Slavic name meaning death,” Caellian whispered.

“Seems fitting,” Sans added on bitterly. It had Papyrus pulling him close, his eyes troubled yet understanding. While he’d never been subjected to Gaster’s anger or ill-treatment he’d seen what Sans and Caellian had gone through. That had left its mark on him, had left him scared in its own way. 

“We’re fine.” Caellian finally said while leaning down to nuzzle at Amarisa. She nodded in agreement before giving his muzzle an affectionate lick.

“As long as we have each other we always will be.” She sighed happily. 

Sans and Papyrus smiled contently, the bond between their daemons flowing with positive energy. Yet there was a second bond, one that even Sans and Caellian were blind to and that was the bond between the brothers and their daemons. The glowing golden strands connected Sans to Papyrus and Amarisa to Caellian. It was something that happens with all twins. They were closer than any person could ever be, were two halves to a whole so it made sense they would have a bond. And right now, that bond was singing in happiness as the brothers cuddled close and drifted off to sleep, the book laying forgotten upon the floor once more.


	3. We're not like what you're thinking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Frisk and Chara face their worst fear, losing their family while tensions between humans and monsters begins to grow violent

Laws and regulations were such a hassle yet a needed one for order and peace to remain the pillar that the world sat upon. They prevented law breakers from getting away with crimes and kept the public safe from harm or possible harm. Some of the toughest laws circled around childcare and adoption to make sure no harm was to come to the children. This was why Frisk and Chara found themselves sitting in a room with their Mum and Dad as well as a bunch of humans dressed in business suits they had never met. They could see their adoptive parents looking nervous and worried, the daemons shuffling about in uneasy energy while the humans looked through a bunch of paperwork they had filled out the week before. Frisk wished that Sans and Caellian were with them but the skeletons had advised against them attending this specific meeting as their presence and sometimes apathetic nature would not help them at all. 

“You’ve filled out these papers correctly and you both seem like lovely people…monsters.” A woman with bright red hair stated uncertainly. Her daemon was, funnily enough, a red panda and he kept sending awkward smiles to Chara, Emer, and Conchobar. The man sitting beside her, on the other hand, was looking at them with barely concealed hatred and mistrust. His daemon was a ginger Persian cat with ugly puss coloured eyes.

“Thank you very much. We only want what’s best for Frisk and Chara after all.” Toriel offered gently. Chara scowled at the human before them. She didn’t want to be in this room, didn’t want these people giving their parents such suspicious looks. She was a ruby red snake today, curled tightly around Frisk’s neck while her eyes were an even brighter crimson red.

“However, we are still very concerned.” The man spoke up and Chara had to resist the urge to hiss in fury at him. 

“We understand.” Asgore bowed his head while the man sneered.

“I’m not sure you do. You see, you simply just took Frisk into your care without informing the authorities or going through the standard adoption procedures. In short, what you have done could be seen as kidnapping.” The man stated firmly. Both Toriel and Asgore stared at him with wide eyes while their daemons pressed closer to each other for comfort. Frisk and Chara, however, were both horrified and angry. They hadn’t meant to cause their family such trouble but now they were facing possible kidnapping charges all because they didn’t want to go home to their other family who hadn’t been nice to them at all. 

“We never intended to cause such a fuss,” Toriel muttered. “And we certainly didn’t kidnap Frisk. We offered them a choice to go back home to their real parents but they refused.”

“And why is that?” The red headed women asked curiously. All eyes were on Frisk and Chara now making the human blush and daemon to hiss in warning. 

“Our old family…they weren’t nice to us. They didn’t like that Chara wasn’t normal…didn’t like that we weren’t normal.” Frisk mumbled softly. The women look sympathetic while the man narrowed his eyes.

“Did these monsters tell you to say this child?” He asked which had Frisk’s head snapping up to face him, her eyes wide in horror.

“No, they would never. They cared about me more than anyone ever has.” Frisk argued.

“So you’re telling us that they have never hurt you in any way shape or form?” The man pressed and suddenly Frisk could feel the anxiety starting to climb. They had caused her harm but it wasn’t like what their parents had done. The monsters only attacked because they were either scared or wanted to see the surface. Frisk didn’t blame them for what they did, they had all heard the horror stories of humans who attacked monsters without reason. Now it seemed the humans thought monsters would do the same to them.

“They would never hurt me. They’re my family.” Frisk held her head high, making direct eye contact with the man as she spoke. Chara hissed in agreement, the bond thrumming strongly between them. 

“That’s good to hear, we just need to make sure is all Frisk.” The women said while sending her partner a side glance. “If it’s alright with you, we would like to speak with Mr. and Mrs. Dreemurr alone.”

“That’s fine, we’ll wait outside.” Frisk nodded before hopping down from her chair, walking quickly from the room and away from the horrible man who seemed to unjustly hate her Mum and Dad.

Outside, the young human child sighed, back pressed against the cream coloured walls before slowly sliding down it to sit on the deep red carpet. Chara shifted, becoming a tabby cat once more and glared at the door before them with her deep crimson eyes. “They have no right.”

“Chara, they’re just looking out for us,” Frisk warned but the daemon wasn’t having any of it.

“They never cared when the real monsters were beating us black and blue. They never cared when we showed up to school with no food, no shoes and old second-hand clothes, and books. They only care now because there is the possibility of getting Toriel and Asgore into trouble.” Chara spat hatefully.

“But Mum and Dad are the King and Queen. Surely they won’t get in too much trouble.” Frisk cried.

“Status won’t matter to them. Humans only care about themselves and only work for their own gain. They don’t care if we’re happy with monsters of if our adoptive parents are the King and Queen. They only want to bring monsters down and cause a new war.” Chara fired right back.

“At least someone is on the same page as us.” The voice was so unexpected that Chara leaped into Frisk’s arms with a startled yowl, Frisk jumping to her feet quicker than she had ever done before. When they saw the trademark blue hoodie, lazy grin and soft white eye lights however they relaxed.

“Sans, Caellian, what are you doing here? I thought you weren’t coming?” Frisk asked as a wave of relief washed over both her and Chara. Sans would know what to do, he and Caellian would make things right. 

“We weren’t coming in with you to represent the family. Doesn’t mean we weren’t coming to keep an eye socket on things.” The stout skeleton winked while Caellian huffed in amusement. The amusement slowly faded however when those eye lights flick up to look at the door in front of them and Frisk felt her sour mood return full force. “Looks like things aren’t going quite the way we’d hoped they would.”

“It's awful Sans. They think Mum and Dad kidnapped us and are hurting us. They think they told us to tell them that our last parents were mean and horrible. They have no right to make assumptions.” Frisk burst out as tears began to fill her normally warm brown eyes. Now they were distant and dull, reflecting her mood perfectly. She sniffled as Sans rose a boney hand to wipe away her tears while Caellian leaned down to blow warm air over Chara in a comforting manner.

“I know it’s not right kiddo, but it’s the way the legal system works. If they made exceptions for some then they would have to do it for everyone.” Sans muttered in a low voice. 

“Though I agree that they are being unfairly strict about your Mum and Dad.”

“Chara is right when she said the humans wish to start a new war. They just need the right motivation, push and situation to start it.” Caellian said.

“I don’t understand why humans hate monsters so much.” Frisk sighed which had Sans giving a bitter chuckle.

“They fear things that are different from them, things that don’t conform to their set ways and sadly when people get scared they do stupid things that normally cause more harm than good.” 

“Humans are stupid, selfish creatures.” Chara huffed which had Caellian cackling though not too loudly.

“It appears that way, doesn’t it? However, they are also very intelligent creatures when it comes to the art of manipulation and deception.” Caellian rumbled down at the Tabby cat who scowled but nodded in understanding. 

“This is all one really big mess, isn’t it?” Frisk finally asked and Sans gave a small sad smile.

“Yeah kiddo, it is. But we’ll find a way to make it better, I…I promise.” Sans vowed, not looking at Caellian who snapped his jaws angrily at his words while Chara tilted her head.

“You hate making promises.” She pointed out. Sans chuckled weakly, his smile strained and eyes squinting with equal parts mirth and sadness. 

“I do but sometimes they are needed.” He agreed only for his eye lights to flick up to the door when he saw a shadow moving behind it. “I’ll see ya later Frisk. Keep your chin up and trust me alright? I’ll find a way to make this all right.”

Before either Frisk or Chara can protest Sans and Caellian blink away just before the door opens and the women with red hair is standing before them. Her smile seems forced, red panda daemon looking tense and tired as Toriel and Asgore stepped from the room. The goat-like monsters seem composed yet their daemons are tense and look sick with worry. Conchobar’s fur is standing on end while his tail lashed back and forth and Emer’s golden feathers keep ruffling in agitation. The women smiled at the King and Queen almost apologetically before turning to Frisk and Chara.

“We’d like to talk to you now Frisk. You don’t need to worry, there just standard questions.” She assured them but Chara still gave a low growl, claws digging into Frisk’s arms as the young girl walked into the room where that horrid man was waiting. 

“Please sit down Frisk and this will all be over soon.” The man seemed to be trying to sound soothing and comforting but Frisk and Chara weren’t buying it. He hated monsters, hated their Mum and Dad so they, in turn, hated him.

“Now we have been going over the papers your ‘family’ have signed and have spoken to Mr. and Mrs. Dreemurr but we also need to speak with you as well.” The women began as she too sat down at the table.

“Why do you need to speak with us?” Frisk asked worriedly.

“There are lots of ACT’s, jurisdictions and legislations regarding not only adoption but child protection so we have to be certain that we are putting your safety and best interest first.” The man stated briskly before pulling out a document. His answer had Frisk and Chara blinking in surprise at one another while a small part of them felt anger and resentment as well. If there were so many laws regarding these types of things why had their old parents been allowed to hurt them so much?

“Now, the first order of business, have the monsters you are currently living with hurt or mistreated you in any way?” The man continued.

“No! I already told you that they haven’t hurt me.” Frisk cried out in anger. 

“And you aren’t just saying that to either protect them or because they have threatened to harm you if you told the truth?” The man pressed while his stupid ugly looking cat daemon purred happily on his lap. 

“They have and never will harm me or Chara. They have cared and loved me more than any human ever has.” Frisk was firm when she spoke, deep brown eyes boring into the man’s dull gray ones. Chara shifted on her lap, becoming a golden retriever with blood red eyes which would be the only way to tell her apart from Amarisa if she’d been in the room.

“If you are so concerned with our protection then why didn’t you do anything when our human parents were beating us black and blue. Was it because they were human? Is the only reason you want to tear us away from the only home that has ever accepted us is so you can start a war? You better pray that I am wrong on those assumptions.” Chara snarled viciously. The two humans blinked in utter shock while the two daemons tensed where they sat. Frisk knew Chara was just angry but she couldn’t help but feel that her daemon was making things worse.

That was proven right when the man gave a small smile that went unnoticed by his partner but not by Chara and Frisk. “It is clear you have had an unstable home life for a long time and I believe that in order to function happily you need one. That is why I am going to file for your removal from the Dreemur household.”

Frisk could only sit there, mouth hanging open in horror while Chara paled under her fur. The woman was arguing with the man who was writing down something on a piece of paper but Frisk hardly noticed. She was going to be taken away, she was going to be ripped away from the only family that had ever loved her and be placed with someone who probably only wanted to keep her for the money from child support. 

“Why, why are you doing this? They have given me a stable home, they love me! Please don’t do this.” Frisk yelled in desperation but the man just gave her a sickeningly sweet fake smile. 

“I’m sorry but there are laws on who can adopt and one of those is to be a registered citizen of the state which sadly the Dreemurr’s aren’t. I also don’t think it is wise to have a human child in the custody of monsters with racial tensions so high. You could be targeted in an attack because of your association with monsters so I’m afraid we must remove you for your own safety. Perhaps when tensions die down you can be reunited with your monster family.” The man said without even looking at Frisk. 

“You’re not doing this for us, you’re doing it for yourself! You want a war, you want to take away our family.” Chara shirked, body shifting into her red dragon form.

“This is not up for discussion, Lisa, take them out of them room and inform the Dreemurr’s they have one week before Frisk is removed from their home.” The man snapped impatiently. 

Frisk was sobbing loudly as the red headed woman, Lisa, took her hand and led her from the room. Toriel and Asgore only need to take one look at Frisk to understand the situation, Toriel breaking out into loud mournful sobs. Conchobar was yowling as if in physical pain while Emer tried desperately to comfort him. 

“I’m sorry.” Frisk wasn’t even surprised to find Sans and Caellian once again standing behind them. Lisa and her daemon gasp in terror, backing away from them as if they were the devil himself. The reaction has a brief look of hurt flashing across Sans’ skull which in turn just makes Frisk and Chara even angrier. These people kept making assumptions about monsters without even trying to get to know them. It was unfair and so unjustly cruel that it hurt.

“We thought if we stayed away they would be more lenient,” Caellian confessed sadly, leaning down to press his muzzle to Chara’s head in a comforting manner. 

“You couldn’t have done anything children; they had already made their decision,” Emer stated sadly. A loud bloodthirsty snarl had them all jumping as Conchobar glared hatefully up at Lisa and her red panda daemon.

“Sans and Caellian might not have been able to do something but the humans could have tried harder, tried to see past their prejudice ways and see us for what we are.” He sounded positively feral and the way his steel gray eyes were cutting into the poor woman made even Caellian feel sorry for her. 

“We understand your upset but is the way the law works.” The red panda tried to reason with the angered snow leopard but Conchobar wasn’t having any of it. 

“What about your laws on basic human rights?” He demanded only to have Sans wince and Caellian to growl low in his throat.

“We already tried that route Conchobar. Sadly, monsters aren’t classified as humans so therefore we do not fall under that legislation.” Caellian explained. 

“That’s not fair.” Chara cried.

“Life isn’t fair, you have to fight for what you want and need because there’s always going to be someone above you that will try to prevent you from getting them.” Sans pointed out. It didn’t really help but Sans wasn’t anything if not honest. He knew he could be brutally honest sometimes but he believed the truth was better than a lie. 

“Come, children, we should get home and see if there isn’t anything we can do about this.” Toriel cut the conversation off, taking Frisk’s hand in her own and surprised Sans when she took his hand as well, leading both him and Frisk out of the building. Sans wanted to protest against the mothering behaviour but he could see how shaken up and crushed the Queen was about everything that had happened. She needed her children with her, all her children so Sans knew Papyrus would be subjected to cuddles as well when they got home. Sadly, home seemed to be a very long way away when they stepped out of the building to be greeted by a crowd of angry, shouting, protesting humans that held signs with derogatory words on them and slander as well. 

Sans had only stepped into view for a few brief moments before the humans turned their eyes onto him and Caellian, eyes alighting with a new found hatred and fire that spread quickly through the massive crowd.

“Monster!”

“Freak!”

“Go back to the underworld where you belong!”

“He’s not even a monster.”

“He’s a Halloween decoration.”

“Probably the remains of some poor human child that they killed.”

“Mutants.”

“Kill them.”

“You’re not wanted here.”

The words ranged from slightly hurtful comments to outright threats that had Toriel and Asgore moving protectively in front of Frisk and Sans. Caellian was rumbling in agitation behind them, hunching low so he wasn’t too much in view. The massive daemon could see that his presence was making things worse, was frightening the angered humans more than most monster daemons would. He wanted to take Sans far away from them but he also knew that if they left then Frisk and the King and Queen would be left behind to face the angry mob. They were literally caught between a rock and a hard place. 

“Please, we mean you no harm,” Asgore called out only to be drowned out by outraged cries.

“Child killers!”

“They’ve already kidnapped another human child.”

“They’ll kill us all.”

Sans looked between the massive mob and his family, eye lights shrinking till they were almost non-existent. He knew riots, protests and tensions were running rampant at the moment but in all of them, monsters had never been directly targeted. They were either just passing by or wrong place wrong time. These humans, however, knew the King and Queen would be here, this was a targeted strike and Sans feared what would happen if the human's temper boiled over.

“We’d never hurt you or Frisk,” Toriel shouted desperately but Sans knew she was only adding fuel to the fire. The humans weren’t going to listen to reason, they were being fueled by their anger and fear which was a dangerous combination. 

“Tori, we need to get out of here.” Sans tugged at her sleeve while reaching out with his other hand to squeeze Frisk’s trembling one. Chara had shifted, becoming the snow white dire wolf she’d been when fighting Asriel. She and Caellian were looking around with calculating eyes, waiting for the moment the invisible barrier that was holding the angry mob back snapped. 

“He’s right Toriel. This is no place for children and Frisk is in danger right now.” Asgore stated while Emer crooned comfortingly at Chara. 

“Okay, head towards the side street. We’ll take a short cut home.” Toriel agreed and began to led the way down the steps towards a street off to the left of the building. The people jeered and shouted as they passed, some even began to throw rocks and rotting vegetables at them. Frisk was shielded by Toriel and Asgore while Sans trailed behind them, walking underneath Caellian’s massive body for protection. It obviously wasn’t enough seeing how he was a skeleton because the small skeleton yelped in pain when a rock struck the back of his skull sending him to the floor. Caellian snarled, liquid magic starting to gather in his maw only for Sans to weakly reach out to hold him back.

“Don’t…we can’t attack them…they’ll take it as…act if war.” Sans chocked out while watching the retreating forms of Toriel and Asgore. The royal couple clearly hadn’t heard his cry of pain above the roar of the crowd around them. That roar grew louder as the humans began to crowed in closer, malicious intend gleaming in their eyes. Caellian snapped and snarled at them, hunching low over Sans’ fallen body as the small skeleton felt blood run down the back of his head. Sans thanked his lucky stars that the hit hadn’t depleted his fragile HP but now he was in a real jam. These people meant to harm, possibly even kill him but he couldn’t allow Caellian to attack or the humans would call it an act of war.

“He’s just an undead freak.” One of the humans sneered.

“No one will miss him.” Another put in as smiles began to spread across their faces.

“Him and his daemon are far too dangerous to be allowed to walk away.” The words sent a thrill of fear through Sans, his eyes flicking between the souls that varied from brown disloyalty, rusty red recklessness, pastel green envy and one that was even black with wrath. 

“Don’t touch us!” Caellian roared as the humans and their daemons drew closer. The daemons that moved towards him were that of bears, tigers, horses, rhinos and lions. They were all large and powerful, they had the best chance at killing him. 

“You don’t deserve to live.” The bear daemon growled.

“Go away!” Caellian shrieked as magic once again began to collect in his jaws. Sans wanted to protest against it but the fear was overpowering his logical reasoning. All he knew was that they were going to kill him and Caellian was protecting him. Thoughts of war and fragile racial tension were nothing but a distant memory as he watched the humans draw weapons.

Caellian opened his jaws wide, intending to fire against the daemons that dared to try and cause him harm only for the magic to fade instantly in shock. Both he and Sans blinked in utter confusion as a massive wall of ice sprang up between them and their attackers. The humans shouted in shock and fear, some yelling accusations of Sans trying to kill them with magic. But Sans didn’t have elemental magic so he knew he didn’t have anything to do with this. He and Caellian looked around for their savior, expecting to see a monster who had come to their aid. They didn’t except for a young teenaged human girl to appear beside them.

She wore a gray sleeveless hoodie vest with the hood having white fur lining the inside. Baggy black sweat pants rested on boney hips while white and navy trainers covered her feet and gray fingerless elbow length gloves covered her hands. Her hair was strange, cut short in a pixie style and was white as the bones that made up Sans’ body while bright emerald green eyes bore down at the skeleton from an angular face, cupid bow lips pulled into a tight line. By the girl’s side was a small wild cat of some kind, a serval Sans and Caellian realized a second later. He came up to the girl’s knee in height and had deep amber eyes that were filled with vast wisdom and intelligence. 

“Come with us if you want to live.” The girl snapped, holding out her right hand towards Sans. He noted offhandedly that a ring sat on the middle finger. It was made of small silver balls that circled around the finger while a silver flower sat on top. At the center of the flower was a bright blue stone of some kind that reminded Sans of the glow from a person’s soul. The reminder of souls had his eye lights flick up to the girl’s chest, looking for her soul to determine if they could trust her. What he saw blew him away.

The soul shone an array of different colours, looking like the gemstone that humans called an Opal. There were pinks, greens, reds, blues, purples, oranges, silvers, golds, yellows and so many more colours shimmering within her soul. Sans had only ever read about these types of souls. These souls that shone with ever trait known to monsters. An Alpha soul.

He felt Caellian nudge him towards the girl, a sign that his daemon approves of the stranger so without a second's thought Sans clasped the girl's hand with his own. She threw him up onto her back, arms hooking under his knees while his arms wrapped around her neck. He took note of the almost frigid temperature of her skin, took note of how her skin was as white as the moon and even seemed to shine iridescent in the sunlight.

“Hold on tight and don’t let go.” The girl warned before suddenly a pathway made of ice exploded from under her feet, taking them up onto the roof of the buildings around them and away from the screaming people. The path was wide and thick meaning that Caellian could run along behind them, the serval keeping up easily by their side. Sans looked at them, looked at Caellian who just nodded silently and looked over their shoulder to where the human free zone was located, where his family was. He didn’t know who this girl was or where she was taking him, but he wanted to find out and had a feeling she would be playing a big part in things to come.


	4. Where my heart leads me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans and Caellian get to know more about their mysterious rescuer, are faced with a difficult choice and also with facts that challenge everything they've ever known.

They must have traveled for hours, running along rooftops and down back alleyways before reaching the edge of the city where the girl continued to run, carrying Sans towards the mountains that surrounded the city of Mt. Ebbot. They ran through fields, past small streams and began the long trek up the steep rocky sides of the mountains before Sans finally felt it was time to get some answers.

“Why did you save us?” He asked when they reached a small ledge that was still big enough for Caellian to settle on. The girl sent him a look while her serval daemon curled up on her lap, his amber eyes burning holes into Sans.

“Because you are worth saving.” She said like it was the most obvious thing in the world. Sans blinked while Caellian just huffed in confusion, all while the girl and serval just stared and smiled. 

“That’s not an answer.” Caellian snapped.

“Then what is?” The serval countered.

“One that actually explains why a human would be willing to risk their life for a monster.” The Blaster growled angrily. Sans reached out, resting his hand on the vertebra in Caellian’s neck to help soothe his daemons shot nerves. The girl and serval stared, eyes seemingly pinning Sans and Caellian to the very ground with how intense the gaze was. 

“We saved you because you have a very important role to play in events to come. It wouldn’t be in the world’s best interest for you to die before you achieved what you were put on this planet to do.” The girl said, eyes never straying from Sans’ face nor blinking. Said skeleton blinked, not understanding what had just been said while Caellian shuffled restlessly behind him. As if sensing their confusion and unease the girl’s face suddenly softened, a small smile stretching across her face while her shoulders slumped and relaxed. “I know you must be confused and possibly even a little frightened. But you must believe me when I say that I wish you no harm. I am your friend, not your enemy.”

“How do we know we can trust you?” Sans snapped, his face slowly crumbling as the emotions and events of the day finally caught up with him. “Yes you save me but you’ve also in a way kidnapped me. You’ve taken us away from our family who are probably worried sick, might even think us dead! Why didn’t you just take us home?”

The girl stared at them, she looked pained and like the weight of the world was upon her shoulders. Her serval daemon glanced up at her before those amber eyes focused back on them, shining with infinite wisdom. “Not trusting us was the wisest thing you have done so far.” He muttered.

Caellian snarled, bones clacking loudly in a threatening manner. The girl sent the serval an annoyed look but he just smirked at her. She sighed before turning serious eyes on Sans who was tense and ready to swing himself onto Caellian’s back so the Blaster could carry him away from the potentially dangerous threat. 

“My daemon is a serval, what does that tell you about me?” She asked.

“W-what?” Sans stuttered, mind crashing to a halt. A moment ago the girl seemed like a savior, then a threat and now she was asking an out of the blue and completely unrelated question.

“What does my daemon say about me?”

Sans stood there, back pressed against Caellian who eyed the strange girl up and down. He could feel the bond twisting and turning with confusion which had him fidgeting slightly. In the end, he decided to play the girls game and turned his gaze to the serval who was smiling up at him, amber eyes glinting with mischief. 

“He’s a serval, a type of African wild cat which has him falling under the wild cat category when dealing with daemon types. Wildcats represent Courage, fierce, free spirit, and vigilant. Servals have often been associated with magic with the ancient African tribes and it was believed their eyes could see into the future.” Sans never broke eye contact with the serval, white eye lights boring into amber pools the whole time he spoke. He could see the smile forming on the animals face as well as the girl grinning from the corner of his eyes. She was leaning against the cliff face, gray sleeveless hoodie standing out against the red rock face.

“You can tell a lot about a person by looking at the form their daemon settled as. It’s the form that represents who they truly are on the inside no matter how hard they try to hide it.” She said with a lazy smile. 

“And you’re telling us this why?” Caellian huffed. The girl smiled, looked down at her daemon and gave him a nod. The serval arched his back before leaping into the air. When he was two meters up his body contorted and shifted until a beautiful white eagle was swooping low over everyone’s heads, the wings trimmed with what looked like light blue frost. Sans and Caellian gaped in shock as the bird fluttered about their heads, eyes shining with delight while the girl just chuckled.

“That’s impossible. He was settled, we could tell by your bond.” Sans whispered.

“A serval is his settled form, yes. But who said we had to say in it?” The girl laughed. “And that’s not all he can do.”

The eagle gave a cry when she said this and suddenly he was rocketing upwards, fast and with no intention of stopping. Sans and Caellian watched, winced when he got to a distance that would have them screaming in pain and watched as he just kept going.

“You're separated.” Caellian mused as he watched the eagle become nothing but a spec in the sky.

“Yes, comes in very handy.” The girl said with a smile. Sans didn’t comment, after all, it was the girl’s decision on what she wanted to do. Still, the thought of being separated from Caellian was just terrifying to think about yet he could see the plus side to it as well. A sharp tug on the bond signaled that Caellian wasn’t impressed with his thoughts so Sans quickly chased them away. “It’s still impossible what you do. If he’s settled, he shouldn’t be able to change.” Sans points out instead.

“And who made this rule?” The girl asked, challenged causing Sans to falter.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, who made this rule saying that settled daemons cannot change?”

Sans looked at Caellian who was staring at the girl like she’d grown a second head, eye sockets wide while his brow bone was raised in disbelief. “Scientists, research and studies over centuries have made this rule. It is a proven scientific fact that once a daemon settles they can no longer change shape.” The blaster growled. The girl’s lips quirked upwards slightly as if she were going to smile before she shook her head in an almost sad way. 

“What happens when a daemon settles?” She asked.

“Dust settles on their form, trapping them in the one form that best represents their other half and themselves.” Sans recited from memory the books he’d read on the subject of settling.

“That’s only one factor that plays into settling.” The girl added on which had Sans frowning in confusion. He’d only ever read about Dust; what else was there to settling if not just Dust?

“Explain then.”

The girl did smile then, eyes dancing in utter joy at his response. “Settling also depends on one’s emotions and on how badly they want to settle. As a child it is all we ever dream of, finding out who we truly are inside. The longer it takes, the more desperate we become to find what best suits us. After all, that feeling you get when you finally find that form is probably the best in the world.”

Sans and Caellian could only nod, remembering when they finally settled. That rush of rightness that had flooded their system was like nothing they had ever experienced before. It was like every happy thought and feeling mixed into one accompanied by the feeling of being safe, loved and warm. Nothing would ever compare to that feeling.

“So your saying settling is both scientific based and emotionally based?” Sans asked carefully. The girl smiled wider, inclining her head in acknowledgment.

“Then how do you still change?” Caellian rumbled.

“Through training and a strong will.” Was her response. Her smile faded after that, face taking on a serious look as she regarded them carefully. “If you want, I can teach you how to achieve this. However, you must understand that it will change you, change your very soul.”

Sans tensed and Caellian snarled in fury, tail coming up to curl around the smaller skeleton protectively. The thought of changing their soul which was light blue Patience mixed with rose quartz fairness sent a wave of fear through the both of them. Part of Sans didn’t understand why one would want to change their soul, the essence of their being that also reflected who they truly were inside. Then his eyes landed on the girl’s own soul, the soul that shone every colour imaginable, the colour of an alpha soul and he understood what the change would entitle. 

“If we did this we would gain an alpha soul, wouldn’t we?” He looked into her eyes and watched as she sighed and nodded. Caellian calm at this though he still looked wary. Alpha souls were thought to be a myth and were rumored to have been the most powerful soul one could have. While determination allowed one to come back after death alpha souls allowed people to gain powers beyond imaginable, look into the future and have their daemons do amazing things. Sans and Caellian looked at this girl and remembered her display of ice/winter magic which she must have gotten when she attained an alpha soul. 

“Why would you teach us this. What’s the point of it?” Sans pressed because he knew there would be another catch to this.

“I want to teach you this because it could help us to end the war before it begins.” She said.

Caellian scoffed, maw opening to reveal sharp teeth. “How can me being able to change shape again help to stop a war?”

“Because I will also teach you how to infiltrate high-security buildings to steal confidential and secret government documents. If you can change, you’ll be able to hide better.” The girl smirked. Her words had both skeletons blinked in utter shock, struggling to understand just what she was asking of them.

“How will this stop a war?” Sans whispered weakly.

“If we find incriminating documents towards humans we can show how they want a war against monsters, get footage of monster harassment and just prove that they are corrupt and biased against monster kind. This will be a none violent method that won’t cause further tension on either side.” The girl explained. Sans sent a side glance to Caellian who was nodding along with what she was saying showing that she knew what she was talking about. 

“If we agree to this, what will we have to give up. These types of things rarely coming free of charge.” Sans pointed out. The girl winced, gently grabbing at her own wrist in what was most likely a nervous tick. 

“You can’t go home, can’t see your family. This training will be hard and may even be dangerous and your missing presence will also play into our favor in showing how humans are a bigger threat to monsters than vice versa.” She sighed. Sans scowled, not liking it but understand why it was needed.

“Can I at least drop off a note to let them know I am alright and to play into the media coverage of my disappearance or death?” He asked or perhaps pleaded with the girl. She gazed at him silently, thinking it over when suddenly her daemon was back, landing on her shoulder and taking the form of a white dragon with ice blue eyes.

“Let them, dear. They are but children and need the knowledge that their family is safe and not hurting.” He hissed in her ear. Sans didn’t like to be called a child but right now he didn’t care. He stared up at this girl hopefully, smiling when she sighed and relented to his wish.

“A letter, but you cannot be seen, Sans. You are to play an important role in preventing this war and they will only hold you back.” The girl warned. Sans bowed his head in acknowledgment, his soul both lifting and breaking at her words. He didn’t want to leave his family, didn’t want to abandon them in their time of need but if he could prevent this war from happening then he would sacrifice it all to keep them safe. 

The girl took him back to the city, taking alleyways and side streets where cameras couldn’t see them. She would sometimes use her powers to create a bridge of ice to get over a tricky spot which just made Sans wonder what added ability he would get if he attained an alpha soul. When they reached the monster side of the city the atmosphere changed dramatically. There was a somber, near depressing feel to the air and no one was out on the streets. Windows were tightly shut, doors locked and shutters drawn so not a single living being could be seen. 

“They are in mourning.” Caellian mused. It was something all monsters did when someone of the community passed away. They would all shut themselves away for silently mourning and would later come knocking at the family’s door to pay respect to the fallen. Sans felt sick when he realized they were all mourning him, were going to be seeing his family soon to offer condolences about his supposed death. He didn’t pause for very long, leading the way to his house where he could see one window left open. Looking inside found his family huddled together, Toriel and Asgore sobbing and muttering how they blamed themselves for not noticing that he’d fallen behind. Undyne and Alphys were trying to console them but they too looked heart broken, their daemons pressed against each other to try and drawn some form of comfort into one another. The worst off was Papyrus and Amarisa.

The skeleton was sitting on the floor, face blank and eye sockets empty of all emotion. He looked like he was trapped in some dark thought, unable to break free. Amarisa lay curled up on his lap, softly whimpering and whining every few seconds. Frisk and Chara sat by them, tears streaming down their faces as they shared in their grief. The sight tore at something deep inside Sans and Caellian, something in their bond that was screaming at them to run in and comfort their twin. They weren’t aware of the twin bond wriggling in a desperate attempt to draw them together, to heal the hurt that was flowing through it. 

“This is your last chance, Sans. You can go to them and watch as the world hovers on the brink of war or come with us to prevent it and achieve peace.” The girl muttered, resting a gentle hand on his shoulder.

Sans wanted to rush in, to forget the girl and forget the war. He wanted his family, his brother and his old life where things weren’t so complicated. He stepped forward to go to Papyrus only to have Caellian bite down on his hoodie, preventing him from moving. He looked at his daemon and felt his soul break. The Blaster’s eye sockets were filled with tears as he shook his massive head. Sans knew what they needed to do, it didn’t mean it hurt any less. With a choked sob he summoned a small sharp bone and pinned the letter to the back door, taking one last look at his family before following after the girl and her daemon who was once again a serval.

“You made the right choice.” She assured them.

“I hope so.” Sans sighed.

“What do we call you then? You know our names.” Caellian pointed out and the girl and serval laughed.

“His name is Caedmon but you can call him Cay.” She said while waving a hand at her daemon who winked an amber eye at them.

“And your name?” Sans pressed.

“Frost, my name is Frost.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, I nearly didn't post this because I'm feeling sick as a dog but because I had already written up the chapter I decided to get and post it. Any questions, feel free to ask and see you all next week


	5. Lectors de l'ànima

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans and Caellian dive deeper into the secret society with the Alpha Souls while tensions between monsters and Humans grows ever more.

They had been traveling for two days now through mountains, forests, and valleys. Sans wasn’t really sure what to make of Frost and Caedmon, they hadn’t really told them much about themselves but he decided he had no choice but to trust them. What they had gotten out of them was that they weren’t the only ones with alpha souls, they were, in fact, part of a group of people who trained to attain them. 

“We are called the Lectors de l'ànima, an ancient order of humans and once monsters who not only have alpha souls but can see souls like you can. We are in charge of keeping peace worldwide. We normally do not involve ourselves with matters of government, preferring to look from the sidelines and occasionally give a hint in the right direction.” She explained as they walked through a small forest.

“I think I’ve heard of the Lectors de l'ànima. In the common tongue they are called Soul Readers and in monster mythology, the Judge of monster kind was the first soul reader and passed on the gift to those they deemed worthy.” Sans muttered as Caellian helped him over a fallen tree. 

“We have heard that story as well. I am glad to have met a Judge in my lifetime. I will admit, though, I thought you’d be older.” Frost smirked which had Sans huffing in annoyance and Caellian giving a hacking cough of amusement. 

“I’m a boss monster and therefore won’t age till I have a child of my own. It’s just my luck that my body decided to stop aging when I was sixteen.” Sans grumbled.

Frost laughed, reaching over to pull his hood over his skull, “Whatever you say Almita.”

Sans blinked at the nickname but decided not to ask about it. Frost had started calling him that shortly after they started their journey and Sans just accepted it as another part of his new life. 

“How much longer do we have to walk anyway?” He asked instead.

“Not much longer. Maybe another hour or so depending on how fast we move.” Frost mused and Sans smirked. 

“If Caedmon changed into something larger and faster we could race there. Caellian is pretty fast after all.” Sans challenged. The white haired girl sent him a side glance, lips pulling up into a devious smile while Caedmon shifted and morphed till he was a massive cheetah with a larger chest cavity, bulkier legs, and a larger nose so he could take in more air easier. Sans hummed as he looked over the improved form knowing that cheetah’s, while fast normally couldn’t run for long periods of time. Caedmon, however, had made changes to the original form so he could run for longer without growing tired. Caellian gave a low rumbling growl of approval, leaning down to sniff at the other daemon who stayed still and allowed the examination.

Frost stood by as well, watching the interactions between the two daemons before stepping forward and easily pulling herself up onto her other half’s back. Sans smiled as Caellian crouched down to the ground, his right foreleg coming up to act as a step for the smaller skeleton. Sans reached up, took hold of one of Caellian’s long vertebras and pulled himself up to sit comfortably between his shoulder blades. They glanced at each other, both skeletons relaxing into the familiarity of the position and movement before turning to Frost and Caedmon for the signal to start.

“The point we’re aiming for is the top of this mountain. First there is the winner.” She called. “READY SET GO!”

The cheetah rocketed off quickly followed by the Blaster, Sans whooping in utter delight as the world suddenly blurred around him and the wind began to rush past his head. It was different from running through the Underground. The Underground was flat, there weren’t many obstacles in the way and most of all, Sans and Caellian were familiar with the layout of the Underground. This forest was new, unfamiliar and strange to them. Caellian had to work a lot harder to propel himself over the steeper and rocky ground, taking extra care on where he placed his feet. He could normally reach speeds of 40mph or more yet now he was reduced to 30mph. Caedmon didn’t seem to be having the difficulty that Caellian was having, almost looking to be gliding over the uneven ground and was silent as well. Caellian’s bones made soft clacking noises when he landed on a rock or hard packed dirt yet Caedmon’s paws padded his movements so he was as silent as a ghost.

“We won’t beat them at this rate,” Caellian grumbled but Sans just smiled.

“We just need to get closer to the top so that we can see it. Then I think you know what we’ll do.” Sans mutter low so Frost and Caedmon wouldn’t hear. Caellian felt his eye sockets widen before a smile began to tug at the corners of his maw. Sometimes he forgot how sharp-witted, quick and intelligent Sans could be when he wasn’t being lazy or immature. As it was, the pair kept up their pace with Caedmon slowly pulling ahead of them till the top of the mountain came into view. Sans rested his hands on either side of Caellian’s massive head, both their eyes closing as their magic began to build up around them. They both pictured the top of the mountain that they had seen, imagined a door opening between them that would take them right to the top and stepped through. 

It was like walking through water, a drag pulling at their bodies as if invisible hands were trying to stop them from moving forward. However, they were both used to this feeling so they just kept moving until the drag stopped. Opening their eyes found themselves standing at the top of the mountain, Caedmon and Frost still at least one hundred meters behind them. Sans expected them to be angry and call them cheaters. Instead, the human and her daemon laughed loudly, eyes lighting up with delight as Frost vaulted from her other half’s back and began to walk circles around Caellian and Sans.

“That was impressive. I know teleportation is possible with the right magic and thought process behind it but I’ve never seen it in action. And Caellian was able to keep up very well despite having never run up a mountain before.” Frost rambled, eyes looking at the Blaster’s legs, joints and how his body just seemed to fit and work. “He really is something.”

“Umm, thanks, I guess,” Sans muttered, glancing down at Caellian who looked just as lost as he did. The Blaster then looked around, wondering why the top of this mountain had been their destination when he found nothing out of the ordinary. “Why did you tell us to come to this spot of all places, there’s nothing here.”

Frost laughed, walking over to a tree stump and sitting down on it like it was the comfiest chair in the world. She then gently tapped her foot three times on the side followed by dragging it along the bark. For a moment nothing happened and Sans was beginning to ponder of the white haired girl’s sanity when suddenly the tree stump tipped backwards as a hole in the ground opened up sending Frost down it. Both skeletons jumped in shock, alarmed cries escaping their mouths only to get stuck in their throats when they heard Frost’s excited laughter echoing up from the supposed tunnel.

“A hidden entrance.” Sans breathed while Caedmon snickered, shrinking back down into his serval form.

“Well, we are a secret society. It wouldn’t do us any good if just anybody could find our camp.” He chuckled before leaping down the tunnel. “Come on!”

Sans and Caellian looked at each other. The hole was just big enough for the Blaster to fit through but they were still leery of jumping down into it. They still didn’t know Frost very well and for all they knew she could have just leaped to her death and was hoping they would blindly follow and do the same. 

“Are you two come or not?” A distant voice called up from the tunnel. It was Frost and she sounded unhurt. If anything she sounded breathless from laughing so much. Sans blinked once before turning to his daemon.

“It’s your call.” He said. The Blaster hummed low in his throat, sniffing at the tunnel as if that would help him determine if it was safe or not.

“Well, we’ve come this far. Might as well see it through to the end.” Caellian sighed. Sans nodded in agreement before throwing himself into the tunnel, Caellian following close behind. It was like going down a massive slide and it was complete with steep drops and sharp turns that had Sans’ non-existent stomach doing flips as they went. This went on for about a minute and a half before a blinding light surrounded Sans and he realized he was outside once more lying on a mattress that had broken his fall. He rolled just in time to avoid being crush under Caellian’s massive body, chuckling when he saw the Blaster’s slightly ruffled appearance. 

“Had fun?” A teasing voice asked making him turn to see Frost grinning down at him only she wasn’t alone. Another girl who was just a little bit taller than Frost stood next to her and looked like her polar opposite. 

The girl had slightly tanned skin with blazing red hair that flowed down her back like a river of fire. Her eyes were a deep and bright blue that held the same mischief that Frost’s green eyes seemed to have. However, unlike Frost, the girl wore a bright yellow long sleeved shirt and black fingerless gloves. She did, however, wear the same baggy black pants and on her right hand sat the same silver flower ring. Hers, however, had a stunning yellow stone in the middle that also had a small red dot in the center. It made Sans and Caellian curios. They could tell that the ring seemed to be a customary piece of jewelry for the members of this society but they couldn’t understand why. They also didn’t understand why the stone at the center of the ring seemed to be different for each person.

“Sans, Caellian, I’d like to introduce you to my good friend Ember,” Frost said while waving a hand to the other girl. The girl, Ember, waved with a lazy smile on her face while a large black wolf with burning golden eyes lumbered up to stand beside her.

“Nice to meet you two. This is my daemon, Gallian.” Ember introduced and suddenly Sans and Caellian couldn’t help but laugh. The girls and their daemons blinked in surprise as the two skeletons just laughed themselves silly, not understanding what was so funny. 

“You alright there?” Frost asked with only a hint of worry. 

“Sorry, it’s just, both your daemons names are the two names used to make Caellian’s name.” Sans chuckled making both girls jump in surprise. The serval and wolf just huffed in amusement while Caellian rumbled happily.

“I didn’t notice that. What does Caellian mean then? I know Caedmon means spirit walker and Gallian is after life. What do they mean when combined?” Ember asked eagerly. Sans looked at Caellian who nodded in consent before smiling back at the two human girls.

“His name means Light.” He muttered. “Both Caedmon and Gallian are names related to death and moving on. When one dies and moves on they go into the light. Therefore when combined they translate into Light.” 

They both blinked before Frost began to giggle while Caedmon just gave a huffing growl like laugh. “Oh my god. Your parents named you Sans and Caellian. They basically named you ‘Without Light’. And I thought my name was bad.” Frost chuckled.

Sans smiled as well. He could see the irony in her words. Gaster had named them Sans and Caellian to remind them there was no light or hope left for monster kind. The man had believed they would forever remain trapped underground and didn’t want Sans or Caellian to ever have hope of being free from it or himself. However, Sans had never given up hope. He and Caellian had survived their father’s abuse and had gotten to the surface. They were going to prevent a war and finally monster kind would get the happy ending they deserved. 

“Oh, the world is full of cruel ironies and funny mishaps.” Ember sighed, hand going to rest against the ruff of her daemon’s neck. The wolf glanced at her with those burning golden eyes that seemed to soften around the edges, like he was smiling. 

“It’s what makes life interesting.” Gallian rumbled in amusement, his voice deep with a light growling edge to it. Ember nodded, ruffling the fur on his head before jerking her head to the side, motioning for Sans and Caellian to follow her and Frost. Walking through the camp Sand and Caellian were able to see just what they had signed up for. 

There were people spread out all over the place doing various things. There was a ropes cores, archery range, fighting ring, a lake for swimming laps and so many other places set up for physically demanding activities. All the people had their daemons constantly changing shape. It was odd seeing how some of the people were well into their thirties and forties but Sans supposed he would have to get used to it. He also took note that they all possessed an alpha soul which again added confirmation that those who had them also possessed abilities as well as the ability for their daemons to change shape. The skeleton watched in fascination as the humans displayed different levels of magic, some using gravity magic, others making plants bend and grow to their will while another summoned air currents to propel her above her opponent. 

“Why do they all training?” He asked as he was led to where huts were set up.

“While they may all have Alpha souls they still must continue to train so they are ready for a mission if one comes up,” Frost explained as Caedmon shifted, becoming a beautiful white wolf and bounding off after Gallian into the trees. Once again, Sans and Caellian winced at the distance but this time didn’t mention it. 

“That reminds me,” Ember muttered, walking over to a hut and disappearing inside. Sans sent Frost a side glance but the white haired girl just smiled and shrugged helplessly which meant she wasn’t going to be much help. The red head returned a moment later carrying a grey hoodie with a white furlined inside, handing it to Sans who blinked down at it. “If you’re gonna be one of us you’ll need to look the part.” She explained.

Sans took the hoodie gently, fingering his own blue one nervously. Papyrus had given him his blue hoodie as a birthday present years ago and he hadn’t parted from it since. It tied him to his twin and he wasn’t sure if he could give it up. Caellian, however, took matters into his own hands. He gently grabbed the hood of Sans’ jumper and pulled up, Sans instinctively lifting his arms so the well-loved piece of clothing could slip off his frame more easily. When he turned his eye lights up to look at his daemon Caellian just gave a soft huff, blowing warm air across his skull in an affectionate manner.

“If we are to live and learn their ways we must embrace their way of life. You’re not cutting away Papyrus and Amarisa by doing this, you’ll be helping them.” Caellian muttered, gently nudging his head against Sans’ own. The small skeleton sighed before shrugging on the new piece of clothing, blinking at how soft and comfortable the fur lining was against his bones. Caellian chuffed lightly at the new look while Frost and Ember both smiled proudly. 

“Come on, we’ll show you your hut. It's right next to ours.” Ember waved her hand in the universal sign to follow her. The huts themselves weren’t all that special at first glance but when Sans caught sight of the hut next to his he couldn’t help but snort in laughter. 

Frost and Ember clearly had added their own flair to their hut with a large slippery slide made out of ice jutting out from the second-floor window. The path leading to the front door had fire pits lining it while the door was painted with one side looking like a winter wonderland with snowflakes dotting it while the other side had flames snaking across the wood. The roof had been painted a bright green with a large tree growing next it holding a tree house. It was clear that while the two girls were serious and trained fighters they were also very childish and immature at times which Sans felt was amazing and would help him get along with them very well. 

His own hut had obviously been made special with the enlarged doorway for Caellian to fit through. Other than that it looked plain and boring. Sans supposed it was so he could decorate it if he so chose to. 

“Welcome to your new home.” Frost almost seemed to cheer while a small snow white dragon with ice blue eyes landed on her shoulder. An identical dragon that was a burning red with bright golden eyes landed on Ember’s shoulder, both blinking owlishly at the two skeletons. 

“Thank you,” Sans muttered while Caellian huffed and turned to walk into the house. 

“By the way, training starts to 6:00 am sharp. If you’re not awake Frost will come get you.” Ember called as Sans turned to follow after his daemon. Because of this, he missed the devious look that appeared on the white haired girls face that was mirrored by her daemon. 

Inside the hut, Sans found a spacious living area with a fireplace set up and a window overlooking the valley that the little village sat next to. There was a staircase leading up to what he assumed was a bedroom and a small area off to the side was set up as a kitchen. All in all, it was simple and not overly fancy. Caellian had taken prime position by the fireplace while Sans curled up on the chair next to it, face drawn and guarded as he thought of his friends and family. 

“They’ll be fine,” Caellian growled softly, head lying down on his front paws while his eye sockets went to half-mast. “If we had stayed they would have been in more danger than they already are.”

“It still hurts,” Sans whispered which had Caellian’s head snapping up to stare at him in alarm.

“What hurts?” He demanded.

“Something in my chest. I can’t explain it.” Sans pressed a hand to his chest, clutching at the new hoodie while his eye sockets scrunched up in pain. “I feel like I’m missing something important, something that I can’t live without.”

Caellian was silent for he too felt the same dull pain. He felt empty, like some part of the bond was breaking between them yet both he and Sans could see that it was perfectly fine. What they couldn’t see was the twin bond between them and Papyrus and Amarisa. It was stretched thin and was throbbing in pain, trying to draw them back to their sibling. Back at the house Papyrus and Amarisa were experiencing the same pain, Toriel and Undyne fussing over them worriedly while the others just looked on, helpless to help.

“Can you explain the pain, my child? Perhaps then I can figure out what’s wrong.” Toriel suggested while her paws lit up with green healing magic. Papyrus was silent, clutching at his chest while Amarisa whimpered by his side.

“Paps, come on you gotta tell us what’s going on or we can’t help ya,” Undyne said while trying to help the lanky skeleton to his feet.

“Sans,” Papyrus whispered his twins name, eyes glassy and distant while Amarisa gave a mournful howl. Everyone blinked, wondering what that meant. They had gotten the letter from Sans explaining that he was alive but wouldn’t be back for a while. They had been upset and confused, even slightly angry with him but had to accept his decision as it was clear he’d already made his mind up. Papyrus had been over the moon though at learning that his sibling was alive yet now it seemed like he was falling back into his depressed state he’d been in before.

“Sans is alright Pappy,” Frisk assured him, Chara nodding in agreement while she gently nuzzled Amarisa in the form of a small Dalmatian puppy.

“Sans,” Papyrus repeated brokenly, the bond between him and his brother rippling with distress before settling slightly, getting used to the distant between the brothers that hadn’t been separated once in their life. Most twin bonds didn’t get so distressed when the twins left for a while seeing how they often went off on their own. Sans and Papyrus, however, had never been apart for long and even then it wasn’t over large distances. Their bond was stronger than most, connecting them in a way similar to the bond between someone and their daemon. They were two parts of one whole, one the heart and the other the mind to a body with two souls. Thus they were both feeling physical pain at being so far away as their bond struggled to cope with a distance it has never experienced before.

(Inside the city)

Deep amber eyes watched as their other half paced back and forth in agitation. Brighid had seen Rowan in many different moods throughout their lives and she knew when he was frustrated and angry. He’d been this way for two days, ever since news broke about how a mob of humans had attacked the royal monster family and supposedly killed a monster in their anger. That monster was revealed to be Sans and Rowan had looked positively furious with this. However, after digging through security footage that had been tampered with for some reason he’d discovered that the small skeleton had been saved by a human. A human with powers that rivaled a monster’s magic. It had been unsettling to watch this young girl summon walls of ice like it was the most natural thing in the world. 

What angered Rowan, however, was that the girl had taken Sans with her instead of dropping him back with his family. This threw a massive spanner in the works and now he needed to start from scratch and locate where this girl was so he could get Sans back.

“If you keep pacing like that you’ll wear a hole in the floor,” Brighid muttered, not even flinching when Rowan turned his cold steel gray eyes onto her.

“I have every right to pace. That freak has ruined everything by disappearing off the face of the earth.” He snarled.

“Well complaining about it isn’t going to find him.” She snapped right back. Rowan sniffed, turning away from her and looking out the window.

“We need him. His magic is stronger than even that stupid king of theirs. We need a monster with a powerful soul and large stock reserves of magic if this is going to work.” He seethed. Brighid sighed and walked over to his side, tail wrapping around his leg in a way that would probably comfort most but for them, it was just so she could stop him from losing control.

“And we’ll get him. Project Soul-Jack will go ahead as planned. It will just take a little longer than we thought.” She assured him. Rowan sighed, rubbing at his forehead tiredly before a small smile appeared on his lips.

“You are right as always my dear. While this little set back is an annoyance we shall go ahead as planned. We will have what we want, no matter what.”


	6. A Dying Flame

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Three months have past and Sans and Caellian are progressing well with their training. However, relations between humans and monsters are steadily growing worse and when an incident happens when Toriel is visiting Frisk at the park it all threatens to reach boiling point.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Distressed noises* I forgot I wrote this chapter. Please, don't kill me when you finish reading it

*Three months later*

It was silent as a thin and wiry figure crept into the wooden hut, bright green eyes scanning the room while soft golden eyes peered into the dark corners that their other half couldn’t see very well. They moved as one when they saw that there was no threat to be found, feet moving silently across the wooden floor boards. The staircase was a little trickier with a few loss wooden planks that would creak if stepped on. The figures, however, seemed to know what they were doing and lightly jumped over the offending stairs. Once they reached the upstairs landing they were quick to walk past the closest door that held a shower and instead headed for a door at the end of the hall.

The door opened slowly, green and golden eyes peering into the darkness and falling on the lump on the bed. The covers were thrown over it and it was very large like someone had hidden a massive rock under them. A smile tugged at the human figure's mouth as they slowly moved forward, shoulders rolling with each step like a lion’s would when stalking prey. Once they were standing right by the bed they lifted their right hand that was starting to glow a soft icy blue. With a quick jerk, a mound of snow fell on top of the mound on the bed, the figure dancing away with a smile that faded when they didn’t hear a shout of shocked anger. Instead, it was silent as the grave, not a single sign of movement from the bed.

“Wha –”

The figure screamed when a bucket of water was tipped over their head, drenching the short white hair while the serval by their side yowled in horror at their fur getting wet. Frost spluttered, blinking the water from her eyes and looked up to see Sans and Caellian crouched in the rafters of the room, large smiles plastered on their faces.

“Not today Snowflake.” Sans cackled before both he and Caellian teleported from the room.

Frost growled low in her throat before launching herself out the open window, hands swing up in an arch to create a path of ice for her to slide down. “You get back here Almita!”

“You’ll have to catch me then,” Sans called from the tree house that stood next to Frost and Ember’s hut. Standing on the front deck was Ember and Gallian who were laughing loudly at the friend’s expense which just irritated Frost and Caedmon even more.

In the last three months, the three of them had become fast friends and loved to try and pull tricks on one another. Sans and Caellian had discovered firsthand what Frost would do if they weren’t awake by six am sharp their first day when she dumped a pile of snow on top of them. They had been shivering for the next hour while the girl and her daemon laughed themselves silly. Ember and Gallian had just smiled and told them that Frost would continue to wake them up like that until they learned to wake up early. 

They had also quickly taken to the daily training rituals. Despite their lazy nature, they threw themselves head first into the physical training. It would start with a simple sparing warm up with either Ember or Frost with their magic. However, the girls would also get him to use hand to hand combat at the same time which was extremely hard for Sans who had always relied upon his magic. After the warm up spar Sans and Caellian would take to the obstacle cores, the aim to get a better time every time they ran it until they could complete it within under a minute. This would be followed by a crash course in weapons handling which included guns, daggers, long swords, bow and arrows and even using everyday objects. 

By the end of all of this, it would be mid-day and time for lunch. The break would last an hour before Sans would either spend the rest of the afternoon in intelligence training, stealth training or soul work. So far he’d been focusing on the two trainings but now Frost and Ember were beginning to focus on his soul work, looking into his abilities with souls that came with being Judge. This was also the time where Sans and Caellian would work with their own soul, slowly edging towards obtaining an Alpha soul. Already their soul had traces of yellow, teal, lavender and lime running through it and Frost had happily declared that soon he would achieve an Alpha soul. Today, however, was Saturday, the weekend which meant no training unless they wished to. Frost would normally take the weekends as a free pass to sleep in yet on the off day she would sneak into Ember and Sans’ rooms to wake them up with a snowball or two to the face. It kept them all on their toes, never knowing when the snow-haired devil would choose to attack but Sans was slowly learning to predict her moods. 

“You get back here Almita!” Frost yelled loud enough to wake the entire camp up. Sans just chuckled, sitting on top of Caellian’s back to watch as Frost used her winter magic to create a path of ice that she would slide along. He realized too late that Caedmon wasn’t beside her and suddenly Caellian was tumbling to the floor with a cry of shock, a large snow white griffin standing over them proudly. 

“Yes! Alright, Cay!” Frost cheered as she skidded to a halt beside them, lifting her hand and dumping a large mound of snow on the two skeletons. “None shall escape my chilly wake-up call.”

“That was cold of you Frost.” Sans joked as he pulled himself from the soft white powder, Caellian shaking his body much like a dog to get it off his bones. 

“Oh god, please don’t start a pun war. It’s too early in the morning for that.” Ember pleaded as she seemed to appear beside her friend out of thin air, her shaggy black wolf daemon padding along beside her. Sans and Caellian had quickly discovered that while Gallian would change shape like Caedmon his settled form had been a black wolf. 

“Do puns make you frostrated Ember?” Frost smirked at the red haired girl who scowled deeply before reaching over and smacking the smaller girl upside the head.

“Looks like someone’s blood is overheating.” Sans snickered.

“Don’t you start,” Ember warned while pointing a finger at the smiling skeleton, said finger catching fire at the same time. It seemed that while Frost had winter magic Ember had summer magic or fire magic, whichever way you looked at it. Sans shrugged innocently, smile growing wider when Caellian gently nudging him from behind. In the last three months, they had been scared of growing apart due to this whole fiddling with their soul yet the opposite seemed to have happened. They had grown closer and their bond had finally seemed to have healed from the whole Asriel Hyper God incident. 

“So, what are we doing today?” Sans asked, eyes watching Caellian move away from his side a short distance to speak with Caedmon and Gallian. In the three months, they had been with the lectors de l'ànima order they had been working on stretching their bond so now Caellian could go about six meters away from him without feeling pain or discomfort. 

“We’re going to be doing some more soul work,” Ember said as she began to walk towards the forest that surrounded the camp. Sans winced slightly because while he knew why he was doing this and wanted to do this it was still hard on his mind and body. It went against every instinct to change one's being. Still, it was all for a good cause in the end. He followed Ember into the forest and they walked for about five minutes before stopping by a small pond that was crystal clear and had a weeping willow standing almost solemnly beside it. Frost was instantly climbing up to sit among its branches while Sans and Ember sat facing each other underneath it beside the pond. This was an exercise Sans was familiar with. Ember would guide him through some meditation techniques while Gallian would slowly lead Caellian away from Sans, stretching their bond and getting them to learn how to separate their minds from one another. 

“Right Sans, clear your mind. Only focus on my voice, the wind and the feel of the grass underneath you. Once you feel at peace I want you to picture your soul and slowly imagine it gaining more colour, envision it changing and allow all the traits you know of to fill your thoughts. Let them in, let them fill your soul and merge with your soul.” Sans couldn’t see Ember as his eye sockets were closed but he could almost feel her in front of him, could almost feel her own Alpha Soul radiating power.

Slowly, his mind grew hazy and foggy, the distant thoughts and feelings from Caellian becoming nothing more than background noise in a sea of peace and calm. He pictured his soul, the small inverted heart that now glowed so many different colours, but it wasn’t enough. They weren’t every trait known to monster and humankind. So he thought of them, thought of honor, commitment, gratitude, naivety and so much more. The colours swam before his eyes, swirling strings of emotions and traits that all held different advantages and disadvantages. He felt them brush up against his own soul that trembled in a mix of delight and fear. Somewhere in the background, he felt a small tug on the bond between himself and Caellian but thoughts of his daemon were becoming foggy like he wasn’t all that important. A thought like that should have scared Sans but right now he was lost in his own soul and thoughts that were keeping emotions to a minimal. 

Caellian somewhat felt the distance from his emotions but not as much as Sans. He wanted to rush back to his other half who was losing himself but Gallian shifted, becoming a large red dragon and preventing him from running. The blaster snarled, turning on the dragon who just stared back at him impassively, no emotions present on his face. 

“Let me go,” Caellian growled.

“No, he must do this. You both must do this.” Gallian growled right back. 

“Why, we were fine before.” Caellian hissed. A sudden presence appeared beside him and he turned to see a leopard standing next to him. Despite looking different Caellian could still sense the cold and winter magic still all over Caedmon.

“We never said you weren’t, just that by doing this you will be helping thousands. I know it’s painful and distressing but you’ll be fine soon. It was hard on Gallian and I as well.” Caedmon pointed out. “Now come on, try walking another meter.”

(line break)

Toriel sighed sadly as she washed the dishes from the morning's breakfast. Things had been going downhill since that dreadful day at the child protection office. When word reached the monsters about Sans’ supposed death things had exploded. Monsters were up in arms because as was customary, Asgore had to inform them that not only had Sans died but that he’d also been the Judge of Monsters. Judges were very important to monster society and it was always a sad occasion when one passed. However, for monsters to hear that not only was the Judge, but a teenager murdered, it had sparked rebellions and groups of monsters calling for revenge. Thankfully both Toriel and Asgore had stopped these monsters from doing anything to make the situation worse. Sadly, though, just three days after the news of Sans’ death was broken, Frisk was taken from their home and placed in the foster care system. 

Thankfully by then, the family knew Sans was alive and were only pretending that he was dead so that helped to soften the blow a little. Toriel was still distraught at losing another child but was happy when Rowan said she was allowed to visit Frisk on weekends. This had been going on for the last three months with some monster still furious at the murder of their Judge causing problems. Asgore and Emer were also starting to struggle greatly in the peace talks. Sans and Caellian had been a big help in them but now the king had to fly solo which was proving very difficult and taxing on both him and his daemon. 

“When did things go so wrong?” Toriel wondered aloud as she placed the last dish in the drip tray. 

“The world has changed since we were last up here,” Conchobar mumbled sadly from his place at her feet. The snow leopard also missed the children. Frisk and Chara had brought light back into their lives while Sans and Caellian kept them all on their toes. Without them, in the house, everything just felt dull and empty. 

“It certainly has and I’m not sure it has all been for the better.” Toriel agreed, gazing out the window at the backyard that had a beautiful view of Mt. Ebbot in the distance. “I still don’t completely understand why Sans and Caellian had to leave. All their letter had said was that they needed to go for a while so they could help monster and humankind settle their differences.”

“Those two work in mysterious ways. Best not to question it.”

“Doesn’t make me worry any less.” 

“I worry too, but while they are both still children they also have more sense than most. I’m sure whatever it is that they are doing is the right thing. Now come, we’ll be late for out meeting with Frisk at the park.”

Toriel wanted to argue but also knew he had sense to his words. So instead she put on her Sunday dress and hat, packed some snacks and headed off towards the park that sat in a human monster friendly location. There was always a human social worker nearby but most of the time they left Frisk and Chara alone to be with their monster family. Most days Papyrus and Amarisa would tag along but today it was just Toriel and Conchobar. Undyne and Alphys were having a date while Asgore was at another meeting. Papyrus and Amarisa, who had been getting quieter the long Sans and Caellian were away, had opted to stay home and clean. Toriel didn’t mind, though, she loved when she got to spend time with Frisk and Chara. 

The park they would meet up at was beautiful. It had a nice little kid’s area with swings, a sand pit, monkey bars and slides while there was also a nice peaceful walk around some small creeks and ponds were ducks would wait patiently for handouts. There were also plenty of trees dotting the park that provided perfect little-shaded areas to rest, talk and have a picnic. Toriel’s favorite spot was under a massive old oak tree that she sometimes wondered if it was older than herself. It was under this oak tree that Toriel found Frisk and Chara waiting, a female human standing off to the side talking away on a phone while also keeping an eye on the young human child. 

“Mum!” Frisk cried happily, rushing forward and throwing herself into Toriel’s arms while Chara crooned happily beside her. Chara was in the form of white dire wolf once more with blood red eyes. She always seemed to take that form when in the presence of the social workers, to show just how much she wasn’t happy with them and the situation they had put Frisk and herself in. However, when she saw Conchobar she shrunk down into her tabby cat form, which showed how relaxed she was around Toriel. 

“Frisk, dear. It is so good to see you and Chara again.” Toriel sighed as she pulled her child into a long comforting hug. She always longed for time to slow down in instances like this, maybe even come to a complete stop so she could hold Frisk safe in her arms forever. 

“It’s good to see you too. I have so much to tell you since we last saw each other.” Frisk then threw herself into tales from the foster house, school and what she had seen on TV concerning the monster human relations. She, of course, asked if there was any news on Sans and Caellian, sighing sadly when Toriel informed her that no, there wasn’t, before digging into the snacks while describing the new things they were being taught at school in the science department. It was all just so perfect in Toriel’s eyes as she listened to her child talk. In that moment she felt hope that everything would turn out okay in the end, that soon humans would accept them and she would have custody of Frisk once more and that Sans and Caellian would return home. 

Toriel was broken from her thoughts when a figure suddenly appeared next to her. Looking up, she was pleasantly surprised to see Grillby standing there, his phoenix daemon Aoife sitting happily on his shoulder. She was a true beauty to behold with feathers that glistened gold, red, orange, yellow and white. Her eyes were also a burning orange that mirrored Grillby’s own eyes that sat behind his glasses. 

“Hello Grillby, how are you today?” Toriel asked while Frisk and Chara waved happily at them.

‘Fine, how are you?’ Grillby didn’t talk like other monsters and instead signed. Toriel and Asgore could remember when he used to speak but after the war, the fire monster had changed. Now, only Aoife would speak aloud and even then it wasn’t very often. 

“Oh, I am fine. Just spending the day with Frisk.” Toriel answered with a smile.

“Hi, Grillby. We’ve been practicing star gazing like you said.” Frisk piped up happily, Chara shifting into a burning red phoenix to match Aoife. 

‘Good, soon you’ll be as good as I am at reading the stars.’ Grillby’s eyes seemed to crinkle at the sides like he was smiling. Aoife crooned softly down at them as well, her beautiful voice sending waves of calmness through everyone who heard it. 

“Can we come round to your restaurant after the park? I would like to read that book you have again.” Frisk asked and Grillby nodded. He was a gentle soul and didn’t have many visitors beside the King and Queen and Sans. Since the small skeleton had left the fire monster had grown more withdrawn and quiet. They had been good friends, Grillby having helped the twins out a lot when they were younger and quickly bonding with Sans and Caellian through their love of the stars. It was because of this that Frisk and Chara began to visit him, to keep him company and take his mind off of Sans’ ‘death’.

“That’s very kind of you Grillby.” Toriel stated. Grillby nodded, reached out and gently patted Toriel on the shoulder before turning to leave, only to pause and tense up like someone had just thrust a gun to his head. Before Toriel could ask what was wrong, Conchobar began to growl low in his throat, fur standing on end and tail lashing from side to side. 

Standing a few feet away were four male humans, all holding weapons of some kind. Their daemons were a mix of dogs, birds and insects. However, the most unsettling thing about them was the hate and malice in their eyes. Frisk was quick to rush behind Toriel, Chara shifting back into a white dire wolf while the female human social worker began to talk frantically into her phone. Her daemon, a chimpanzee, was screeching loudly to try and both scare away the other daemons and alert nearby people. 

“Can we help you, gentlemen?” Toriel asked in a voice that was trembling in fright. She didn’t care what happened to her but the thought of losing another child, of losing Frisk was enough to send a spark of fear through her. 

“Yeah, you can go back underground where you belong.” One man growled, brandishing a baseball bat in a threatening manner.

“Rude.” Chara huffed which just seemed to make them angrier.

“Dirty monster lover. You're no better than them.” Another man spat before throwing a knife. Frisk screamed, Toriel lifted her hands that were now covered in fire while the female social worker cried out for them to stop. It was like time slowed down. Frisk watched as the knife sailed towards Chara who was too stunned to move. They were both certain that it would embed itself into Chara’s neck but it never did. Instead, a ball of gold, red, orange, yellow and white feathers flew in the way.

Chara felt the breath leave her body as she watched Aoife land on the floor, knife embedded in her chest while bright crimson red blood stained her once beautiful feathers. This was followed by screams which had her turning to see Grillby, standing protectively in front of them and sending out waves of fire attacks. Both Frisk and Chara could see that his attacks were getting weaker, his flames starting to dim while his eyes were scrunched up in agony. The men yelled and, badly burned, turned tail and ran.

“Frisk, are you okay?” The social worker was beside them in a second, eyes wide in fright and face pale.

“We’re fine.” The young girl mumbled, eyes turning to Grillby who had collapsed beside Aoife.

“Grillby, you need help. Let me heal you.” Toriel gasped, leaning down and reaching out while her paws glowed green. The fire element, however, shook his head, pushing her hand away while cradling the broken form of his daemon against his chest. It was then they all saw the small trails of golden dust falling off of Aoife’s body. “Grillby please, you're both dying.”

“N-no.” The voice was strange and foreign to Frisk and Chara yet nostalgically familiar to Toriel and Conchobar. It was Grillby’s voice, weak and trembling. 

“Grillby, please,” Toriel begged.

“It’s too late.” Aoife trilled weakly. 

“There must be something,” Frisk asked desperately.

“Frisk…you have a kind heart…don’t lose it.” Grillby sighed while slumping forward. His soul appeared on his chest, completely white and trembling as cracks raced along its surface. Toriel acted fast, turning Frisk’s eyes away from Grillby as he crumbled into dust but the child’s eyes still found Aoife who was just clinging to life. The phoenix spread her wings, a mournful cry escaping her mouth before she seemed to explode in a shower of golden dust. 

Later, Frisk and Chara would remember how Aoife turned to dust and think that it was ironic that her death had been strangely beautiful. The golden dust had shimmered like flames, catching the sunlight as it dispersed into the air leaving no trace of her being behind. Toriel had collected Grillby’s dust and his glasses, taking them back to the town where a funeral was held outside his house. While not many knew him well, everyone had at one point gone to his restaurant and sampled his food. They also remembered his efforts during the war and how he had saved many monsters from certain death. He would be missed by all of monster kind. Frisk and Chara, on the other hand, couldn’t help but feel that with Grillby’s death something had been set in motion, something that would determine the fate of the world, humanity and monsters alike. They could only hope it would be for the better.

Hundreds of miles away, a pair of eye sockets snapped open and glowed a fierce gold as the soul that had once been blue patience and rose quartz fairness with a few other traits mixed in flared to life, filling with an array of colours till it looked like an opal gemstone. Branching out from beside the eye sockets, golden swirls curled around the sides of the figure's skull while three pointed lines extended from the top of the skull and stopped just above the brow. 

Sans screamed it utter agony and anger as his soul burned from the sudden change and images of his best friend crumbling into dust. Caellian howled, his own eye lights turning a burning gold as he remembered how the phoenix that had accepted him for who he was burst into a shower of gold, his body contorting until he was a beautiful golden dire wolf. Frost and Ember watched in shock and slight fear as Sans and Caellian attained an Alpha soul in the worst way possible, through the death of a friend. Caedmon and Gallian turned into wolves as well, adding their own mournful howls to pay respect to the daemon they had never met. 

While this happened, Papyrus and Amarisa collapsed to the floor and screamed as their chest seemed to burn with pain. Undyne and Alphys who had returned from their date yelled in fear, rushing to their side as they began to trash. The two girls cried out as on the right side of Papyrus’ face, golden swirls extended from his eye socket. Ferdiad climbed onto Amarisa’s back, his long scaly tail curling around her neck in a comforting way while Sualtam nuzzled against her chest. Sadly, nothing seemed to work as both she and her other half continued to cry in pain and distress, one word escaping both their mouths and mixing together. 

“Sans, Caellian.”

It was all they could say as the pain ripped through them. They didn’t know what was happening but they knew it somehow connected to their twin, that something had shifted between them and that something was hurting them and causing their twin distress as well. The world had shifted, the game had changed and no one was sure if it was for the better.


	7. Don't tear us apart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans and Caellian are left broken with the knowledge of their friends death leaving it up to Frost, Ember, Caedmon and Gallian to fix them so they can progress with their training. But in doing so they may cause more harm than good.

It had been a week and Caellian refused to shift from his wolf form. His fur shined a metallic gold while his eyes were a more molten hot gold. It was strange to both him and Sans for him to be in this form. Both were so used to him being taller than Sans but now he only came up to the skeletons shoulder. He was 2.6 feet tall at the shoulders while Sans was 4.3 feet tall. It was also strange for Sans to feel soft yet coarse fur under his fingers instead of smooth bone. Everything had changed yet neither wanted him to change back into his settled form. It caused Frost and Ember to worry and Caedmon and Gallian to try and speak with them more often but they didn’t care. Grillby and Aoife were gone, they had seen it while it happened and that frightened them. 

They knew they would get a new set of powers when they attained an alpha soul, knew that it could end up being anything but they hadn’t expected what they got. They could now control Dust that floated aimlessly through the air and also use it to see the past, present and future events. Caellian had tried to point out the usefulness of this power but Sans had shut him out, images of Grillby and Aoife turning to dust flashing before his eyes. His eyes…they had changed as well.

His eye lights weren’t white anymore, they were gold now. He had gold markings on his skull as well, swirls and lines that looked so wrong yet so right whenever he caught sight of them in the mirror. Caellian assumed that whatever form he took he would now always be gold or would have the golden markings if he shifted back to his settled form.   
Caedmon was always white in colour with light blue frost coloured markings while Gallian was always red expect for his settled form which was a black wolf. It was vice versa for Caedmon who would be a normal serval as well. 

“They’re still hurting,” Sans whispered, Caellian snarling softly but not taking his eyes off their fireplace and the dancing flames. They were sitting on the floor, huddled before the fire and leaning against one another with the curtains drawn. 

“We should never have left.” The dire wolf rumbled angrily, flashes of Papyrus and Amarisa appearing before their eyes. Their twin was in pain, feeling the same pain they felt. When they had gotten their Alpha soul they had finally seen the twin bond, finally understood why they sometimes got phantom pains and why they sometimes felt emotions that weren’t their own. 

“It was a mistake.” Sans agreed, fisting his hand in the golden ruff of Caellian’s neck, loving the comfort it brought and hating the unfamiliar feeling of it. 

“I know that’s how it feels at the moment but it will pass.” A soft voice said causing them both to swing round, Caellian with a snarl on his lips. Caedmon was sitting behind them in his serval form, amber eyes boring into them.

“What do you want?” Caellian hissed. The serval’s ears cocked to the side, end of his tail flicking in agitation but other than that he didn’t move. 

“We’re worried about you.”

“We don’t need your concern.” Caellian huffed before turning his back to the other daemon. Caedmon didn’t look offended, just mildly annoyed.

“Stop acting childish.” He snipped which had the desired effect. Caellian roared in anger, jumping to his feet and getting right in the others face, long teeth snapping threateningly close to the smaller male’s neck.

“Our friend died. Our sibling is in pain. We have gained an ability that does more harm than good. We are a long way from home and our family is suffering. Don’t you dare say we are acting childish.” The wolf growled low, molten gold eyes flashing in fury while Caedmon just smirked. 

“You are both sulking, blaming yourself for something you had no control over. What makes you think you could have saved your friend if you had stayed. You might not have even been there when he died. This ability you have gained will only cause harm if you can’t control it and you are away from home on your own accord. You are acting like a child.”

Caellian looked like he was going to bite down on the other's neck and kill him but a hand on his back prevented him from moving as strands of golden dust snaked their way up his legs. He turned to see Sans staring down at him, his own golden eyes glowing molten gold now as dust gently floated around him.

“Don’t.” He warned his daemon who lowered his head. Those glowing eyes turned to Caedmon who hadn’t moved from his place and who was now staring at Sans in curiosity.

“A Dust Spinner, fascinating. There hasn’t been one of those in a long time.” He commented. Sans narrowed his eye sockets at him but chose not to ask. Instead, he released his hold on Caellian and walked closer to Caedmon.

“Why are you really here? What does Frost and Ember want?” He asked. The serval smiled, eyes gleaming in utter joy.

“Oh, you are learning fast.” He chuckled before turning serious. “We understand that it’s been hard losing a friend, but you can’t let your grief consume you. There are more pressing matters at hand.”

“What kind of matters?” Caellian huffed and Caedmon’s face went solemn.

“Monster aren’t happy with the death of their Judge and a war hero. Things are boiling over and if we don’t act soon there will be a war. We need you both.” Caedmon sighed. As always, Sans turned to face Caellian letting him know that the final decision was his to make. The wolf didn’t look pleased but he nodded all the same, logic winning over petty anger for the time being. Outside found Frost and Ember standing under their tree house, Gallian in his black wolf form sitting by his girl’s feet.

“Almita.” Frost greeted, pulling Sans into a gentle hug. The small skeleton tense briefly before melting into the embrace, Gallian and Caedmon moving closer to Caellian. 

“We are sorry about your friend,” Ember muttered, her hand coming up to rest on Sans’ shoulder. For once, he didn’t shrug away from the contact and Caellian didn’t look as if he wanted to snap at the person touching his boy. 

“He died saving those he cared about, he wouldn’t have wanted to go any other way,” Sans muttered while Caellian arched his back. It made the bond between them wriggle in discomfort which just reminded Sans that the form he was in wasn’t the right one, wasn’t who they were.

“It still hurts though so we are still sorry,” Frost said with pursed lips. The small skeleton’s shoulders slumped while Caellian hummed low in his throat. The noise had the white haired girl turning those bright green eyes onto him, a frown covering her face. “You haven’t changed since that day, have you?”

“There’s no need, this form is fine.” Caellian groused.

“You’re in shock.” Ember pointed out, not flinching when Caellian snapped his jaws together loudly in her direction.

“You need to change, it’s not healthy to remain in a single form that isn’t your settled form for extended periods of time,” Gallian said instead. Caellian still growled but Sans was quick to place a hand on his flank and lock his golden eyes with Caellian’s own golden gaze. 

“Caellian, you know this form isn’t right. We’ve been like this for so long and its itchy, wrong and hurting us.” Sans pleaded. The golden wolf whined, pressing a cold wet nose into the skeletons hip. It was silent before brief moment before his body moved and melted till his body grew so he was just 10cm shorter than Sans. He was a tiger, a Bengal tiger with metallic gold fur and coal black stripes. His eyes were still that strange and striking molten gold and he was an impressive 270cm in length. 

“Gold colour variations, interesting.” Gallian mused. 

“It makes sense seeing how your powers are connected to Dust,” Caedmon remarked. The golden tiger rumbled softly while Sans gave a weak smile, hand gripping tightly at Caellian’s ruff.

“Will you still help us?” He asked, desperation seeping into his voice. “We can’t control it well, what we see and it hurts.”

“We’ll always help you Almita, always.” Frost smiled softly, hands coming up to rest on his shoulder. It should have been a touching moment, but instead all Sans saw was a young version of Frost with dark blonde, almost brown hair crying in anguish as her family was killed right in front of her. Caedmon was a serval and couldn’t change shape, couldn’t rush in and save what Sans assumed was their grandmother as her pure white barn owl daemon was killed, bursting into a shower of Dust. Sans heard Frost scream and suddenly he was looking at her in present time, her eyes shadowed by past memories. A low growl had him turning to see Caedmon in the form of a large white lion with a mane that was tipped a frosty blue colour. He was hunched close to Frost, lips pulled back in a feral snarl that Caellian was quick to mirror.

“Whoa! Calm down, all of you! That’s enough.” Ember shouted while Gallian leaped between the two snarling daemons as a rusty red polar bear.

“Invasion of privacy.” Caedmon spat.

“It’s not like we wanted to see that.” Caellian sniffed.

“You can’t control it…it’s okay.” Frost’s voice was shaky and when she smiled it was weak and forced. Sans remained silent and stared at the girl who had gone through hell to get to where she was now. Perhaps it’s this incident that triggers the improve training session they are now facing. Frost gets Sans and Caellian to sit on the grass facing each other but with their eyes closed. The tiger rests his head against Sans’ while the skeleton cups his daemons face gently in his hands. The close proximity causes flashes of images from their past. They see the day Caellian had attacked another monster child’s daemon at age seven because they had been picking on Amarisa and Papyrus. Next, comes a quick flash of Gaster, his face still blurry to their mind's eye, screaming obscenities at them while his gray weasel daemon, Morana, lunged at Caellian who had been a small ocelot and pinned him to the floor. 

“Focus.” Frost’s voice cut through the images and Sans took a shuddering breath but didn’t open his eyes. He felt Caellian release a warm puff of air into his face to comfort him and took strength from it. 

He could feel the Dust swarming around him, wanting to pull him into another vision but he fought against it, pulled at the Dust till he felt himself building a mental wall with it, using strong will and determination to control it. A second presence in his mind, the part that belonged to Caellian, joined him in gently easing the Dust into bending to their will. Distantly, he felt multiple shifts in Dust occurring around Caellian but he ignored it, focusing on stopping the Dust before him from overwhelming him and pulling him under.  
“That’s it, you can ease back on it now.” This time it was Ember who spoke, her gentle voice letting Sans know he could pull back from the mental wall he’d created. It shivered slightly but stayed in place and thus allowed Sans to relax and open his eyes. Blinking in surprise, he stared at Caellian who had changed from the golden tiger form into what Sans assumed was a golden polar bear. 

“It’s quiet.” Caellian breathed and Sans couldn’t help but smile.

“It’s quiet.” He agreed. 

“Well done.” Gallian praised. 

It still took a few more lessons for Sans and Caellian to really grasp the concept of controlling Dust but eventually, they began to use it to glimpse a few minutes into the future. Sans could even summon large whip-like strands of Dust as weapons which was a massive help in battles. He also discovered that his Gaster Blaster skulls had changed slightly. They had the same golden strips he had on their skulls while their eyes had also turned a burning molten gold colour. When they fired their liquid magic Sans had also noted that the white magic was tainted with flecks of gold. It appeared that his new powers had bled into every essence of his being.

Caellian was also getting used to changing shapes again and had reverted back to their old ways, constantly taking dangerous forms that screamed to most to keep their distance. Today, he was testing out a golden sabretooth tiger form, his coat a soft glistening gold that seemed to ripple in the sunlight. 

“Keep tension in your core Almita, thrust with your shoulder as the main source of power and stay on your toes,” Frost instructed from the other side of the small boxing ring. Her hands were bound with white tape and she was bouncing about on the very tips of her toes like a ballet dancer. Caedmon was by her side as an albino leopard with ice blue eyes. Sans, whose hands were also bound with tape, sighed and leaned up onto his toes and began to bounce up and down slightly.

Frost smiled and darted forward quickly, her gangly legs moving with the grace of a dancer before she struck out with her right hand at Sans’ side. He leaped backwards before doing a quick turn, pulling both his left arm and shoulder back before thrusting upwards. He caught the skinny girl on her left hip causing her to stumble slightly but Frost was quick to kick out with her right leg and hit Sans right in the chest. He gasped in slightly pain which Caellian mirrored before they straightened up.

“She’s right side dominant,” Caellian whispered to his other half. Sans gave a minuet nod of understanding before he darted forward. He faked a hit to Frost’s left side which caused her to turn and bare her right side in defense. Sans smiled before sweeping his leg out and hitting Frost right in the ankle before stabbing his pointed fingers into her right shoulder, right where Ember had taught him too. It had the desired effect, causing the limb to go limp as the nerves jerked about to try and regain feeling. Frost shouted in surprise, Caedmon growling as he felt his right front leg go numb. Sans danced backwards, Caellian standing by his back and baring his long saber teeth.

For a moment Frost and Caedmon scowled angrily before they both smiled happily. “Very good Almita, very good indeed.”

“I thought you’d like it,” Sans smirked. Caellian gave an amused chuff before his body trembled and changed, becoming smaller till he was a polecat with burnished golden fur. Sans twitched, still unused to the feeling of his daemon changed shape.

“You have improved with your training faster than anyone I have ever met.” Frost shrugged. Caedmon chuckled as he shifted to mirror Caellian’s shape only he was a pristine white.

“We are naturally fast learners.” The gold polecat hummed while grooming his face. Sans gave a soft noise before reaching down and offering his hand to his daemon so he could climb up onto his shoulder. It was odd having Caellian being something so small. For years he had towered over Sans, had been the one to carry the small skeleton around and now suddenly he was happily sitting on Sans’ shoulder without being a hindrance at all.

“Well, I think then that it’s time for your final test before you become a Lectors de l'ànima.” Ember declared happily as she walked closer.

“And what would that be?” Sans asked curiously. 

“Undergoing separation.” Gallian all but purred. His words left a cold feeling in the pit of Sans’ stomach while Caellian bristled on his shoulder. 

“I know you're uncomfortable with it but it comes in very handy.” Caedmon reasoned. Sans sighed but nodded, trying to ignore the warning look Caellian sent him. He followed the two girls, their daemons rushing ahead and showing off they're long range distance as they chased each other through the trees as a white and red pair of falcons. The closer they got to where Sans knew the lake was the more nervous Caellian seemed to become. His body trembled, going through forms in quick succession. He went from a raven to moth, squirrel to cat, ocelot to butterfly and finally robin to red panda. All the while his golden colour variation never faded away.

“We shouldn’t be doing this.” He hissed into Sans’ ear, or at least where his ear would have been.

“I don’t like it any more than you do, but if it helps us protect our family we must.” Sans sighed almost sadly. Caellian spat, fur standing on end as they came to the edge of the tree line where a large lake sat. Frost and Ember stood before a small boat, their daemons as twin wolves by their sides, one black and one white. 

“You will be in the boat with us Sans.” Frost said, “Caellian will remain on shore with Caedmon and Gallian who will make sure he doesn’t try to follow.”

Sans froze as he stood beside the boat, his newly changed soul shivering in a sudden terror that transferred to Caellian who whined loudly. The two wolves crouched on either side of him, pinning him to the floor but offering comfort at the same time. When Sans did enter the boat, he felt a rush of betrayal that wasn’t his own flood his sense and when he locked his golden gaze with an equal golden set of eyes he felt like he’d just made the biggest mistake of his life.

Ember pushed the boat off, Frost rowed and propelled it through the water. The distance began to grow, the discomfort turning into a dull ache. While this happened, Sans and Caellian didn’t break each other’s gaze. When the ache turned into a throbbing pain, Caellian tried to rise and shift so he could close the distance between them. Gallian leaned more of his weight onto the small form, pushing his own small form of magic onto him to prevent a shift from occurring. Sans felt his breathing pick up as the pain began to take over his mind. The bond was thrashing and screaming, splintering as thread after thread began to snap. His thoughts that had been focused on how this was for the better quickly shifted to no this is wrong so wrong, we shouldn’t be doing this, turn the boat around I’ve changed my mind, I need Caellian please don’t make us do this, turn around, go back, stop, it's wrong, GO BACK!

“STOP!” Sans screamed and the wall he’d constructed so carefully over a week ago crumpled away and shattered. He was still screaming when a pain that was neither his nor Caellian’s overtook his system. His mind shifted, jumping for the second bond that connected him to his twin, jumped for the comfort and safety that was his family and blood.

(City of Mt. Ebbot, Monster Village)

Papyrus and Amarisa were playing outside with Frisk and Chara, trying to cheer them up from the tragedy that had been Grillby and Aoife’s death. The fire monster’s death had sparked more anger and tension between monster and humans and now everyone knew war would soon be upon them. Frisk and Chara weren’t allowed to visit as much anymore so Papyrus and Amarisa had decided to come and visit them, not knowing when the next time would come when they could see their friend. 

Papyrus’ newly acquired gold markings had also caused a bit of a stir but in the end the skeleton had assured them it was nothing to worry about and that it was somehow connected to Sans and Caellian. 

Chara was still changing but not as much as she used to. Her forms were limited as she drew closer to settling. The skeleton watched as she flickered between the few remaining forms she still held. She could still turn into a white dire wolf with blood red eyes, a small red dragon, a red Irish settler, a raven and a tabby cat. Those were the only forms she had left and Amarisa was certain they would end up as a tabby cat. When Papyrus asked her why the golden retriever just shrugged with a frown.

“Caellian mentioned it once and it just sounded and felt right.” Was all she said on the matter.

For now, though they were laughing as Chara kept switching between her wolf form and Irish settler one, jumping about to try and avoid being caught by Amarisa. Papyrus smiled as his daemon played and had fun when all of a sudden a cold feeling swept through him. Amarisa stopping chasing Chara, freezing in her tracks while her eyes went wide. She gave a shuddering breath, blue eyes shooting up to lock with Papyrus’ as a wave of fear hit them, fear that wasn’t theirs. 

“Sans and Caellian.” They spoke at the same time and collapsed with screams of pain at the same time. This pain they felt, it wasn’t like the pain they had felt before. That pain had been either the pain of just being so far away from their twin or the pain of change. This pain however, it was the pain of something being severed between them, of something being cut that should never be cut. They screamed in horror as the word ‘separation’ flashed in their minds. They didn’t acknowledge Frisk and Chara calling for Toriel and Asgore, didn’t care when they were held down by their friends who were calling out for them desperately. All they cared about was their sibling who was in such agony, in such distress and they needed to fix it.

(Lectors de l'ànima hidden camp)

Frost and Ember yelped as Sans gave a blood-curdling scream that was echoed by Caellian who suddenly shifted and threw Gallian and Caedmon from his back. He was in his settled form once more, a Gaster Blaster with the same exact golden markings on his skull that Sans had. The golden swirls beside his eye sockets looked beautiful and mystical while the three stripes down the skull looked powerful and striking. When he threw the other two daemons off his back, Caellian gave a loud enraged roar before plunging into the water after Sans, the bond seeming to pull them towards each other.

Sans was quick to follow his daemons lead, jumping from the boat and swimming out to meet him. Frost made to stop them, lifting her hand to create a barrier of ice but Ember was quick to halt her movements. 

“Don’t, there’s something else going on here.” The redhead warned her friend. 

Frost scowled but listened to her friend, sitting back and watching as the two skeletal creatures met half way. Caellian lifted a massive paw and crushed Sans to his chest that was rumbling loudly. The small skeleton choked on a sob as he clutched desperately to his soul, the pain slowly fading along with the images of Papyrus and Amarisa screaming in agony.

“Don’t ever do that again, don’t you ever do that again.” Caellian cried, his jaws snapping loudly mere inches from Sans’ head.

“I won’t, I promise, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, I’m sorry.” Sans sobbed. Caellian whimpered as he pulled them back towards the shore, growling as he gently removed the sodden gray hoodie that clung to Sans’ small frame. 

“We hurt them, we hurt them so much.” Caellian trembled while Sans gave a high pitched cry, soul hurting at the knowledge of what they had just done to their sibling. 

“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to do it. I promise I won’t ever do it again.” Sans was quick to assure his daemon while also trying to rectify what he’d done. Caellian crooned softly, leaning down to nuzzle at the other's skull while dragging his golden ecto tongue over the others face in a soothing manner. 

“It’s alright, we didn’t separate and we never will. We’ll always be together; I’ll never leave you.” Caellian hummed low in his chest, feeling the bond thrum with a nervous energy that was slowly bleeding calm and contentment. However, the Blaster was quick to pull up a wall so Sans wouldn’t be affected by what he was about to do. He tapped into the Dust that as spinning wildly around them and focused on Papyrus and Amarisa. He relaxed considerably when he saw them safe and no longer in pain, just breathing and holding each other while their friends and family stood around them worriedly. He briefly noted how Dust seemed to be sitting heavily on Chara now, limiting her forms and indicating her being close to settling but it was only a passing observation. He was more focused on his siblings, happy that they hadn’t been too affected by what had just transpired. Happy with what he’d found, Caellian eased back into his own body, pulling away from the Dust and once again focusing on his own boy.

“We’ll get through this, we’ll find a way to make this work. I promise.” The daemon breathed warm air over the others small skull, eye sockets closing while golden eye lights dimmed into a relaxed state. Sans mumbled sleepily, the shock of the close separation finally catching up with him as he and Caellian finally sunk into a much-needed sleep, Frost, Ember and their daemons watching on in confused curiosity.


	8. They're cutting us down

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sans and Caellian recover from their near separation and go on their first mission, all while dark forces work to take down the fragile peace Monsters and Humans have made

They never attempted separation again and though they didn’t want to explain why it had hurt them more than it should have, Sans and Caellian eventually informed Frost and Ember of their connection to Papyrus and Amarisa and how whatever pain they felt, their sibling would as well. They also explained how during the separation, they had felt their bond with Papyrus and Amarisa being severed as well which had hurt them even more than their own bond being torn.

“A twin bond, that’s the only explanation.” Ember summarized in shock while Frost winced in guilt and sympathy.

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t realize you were twins otherwise I would never have made you go through that.” She apologized but Sans just smiled.

“It’s alright, most think Paps is older cause he’s taller. We’re none identical twins.” He assured her. She still looked guilty, as did Caedmon, but Ember told them that the white haired girl would be back to her old self in no time. Sans and Caellian weren’t sure how they felt about that. Instead, they turned to Caedmon who always seemed to know things he really shouldn’t.

“These twin bonds, are they common in that they happen with all twins?” Sans asked, his mind buzzing with new possibilities and theories. The serval hummed, tail twitching slightly while Gallian gave a hacking cough of what could only be described as amusement. 

“All twins are born with a twin bond, but the strength of it is determined by the relationship between the siblings. If the twins dislike one another or have a difficult relationship the bond will be weak and possibly even diminish over time. Your bond, however, is unusually strong from what you’ve told us meaning you and your brother are very close.” Caedmon supplied.

“Of course we’re close, we’re all the other has really. We raised each other and tell each other everything.” Sans couldn’t help but scoff. How could he and Papyrus be anything but close, after all, they had gone through? Caellian huffed, body shrinking down into a canine form that Sans didn’t immediately recognize. He looked like a dog but his skull shape was wrong, feet too large and teeth too long. Wolf his mind tried to supply but that didn’t fit either. 

“Wolfdog.” Caellian offered up, his shimmering golden fur waving gently as he moved to stand beside his other half.

“Hybrid, we never really took hybrid forms, just colour variants.” Sans hummed.

“You both seem to favor predatory forms.” Ember pointed out as if she were observing the weather. It was refreshing to have people who weren’t bothered by Caellian’s choices in forms. Most were horrified or frightened, Frost and Ember, however, were intrigued and fascinated. 

“They feel right, more so than normal ones do.” Caellian shrugged as much as a wolfdog could. Gallian gave a soft chuff while Caedmon purred in acknowledgment. 

“The mission we’ll be undertaking soon will be a little more difficult with you both being still together, but I’m sure we’ll make it work. We are flexible.” Frost finally sighed after much thought. 

“And what would this mission be?” Sans asked, curious seeing how he and Caellian hadn’t been allowed on any missions yet due to the fact he and Caellian hadn’t had an Alpha soul yet.

“Recon, we’re going to a government building where they keep CCT video footage and important federal, state, parliament and confidential documents, documents that might help us in proving humans are actively seeking war against Monsters,” Ember smirked. Sans had to give them credit when it was due, it was clear these people knew what they were doing. They were like secret agents, spies even with how they trained and operated. 

“When’s the mission?” Caellian questioned.

“Tomorrow night. We’ll leave around miday so we can get there in time and do a sweep of the building before hand. Once that’s done we’ll head in. The plan is to be out within ten minutes.” Ember said.

“Then I guess we better get a good nights sleep.” Sans joked with a lazy grin. 

(Unknown Location)

“Is the subject ready?” Steel gray eyes gazed at the blue rabbit monster who was trembling in terror. He was locked inside a machine of some kind that had glass walls. Down the center of the machine was a mash like wall that separated the monster from his daemon who was a Calico cat with bright blue eyes. She was yowling loudly, trying to claw her way through the mesh while the rabbit monster sobbed, sticking his fingers through the mesh to touch her.

“He is Sir. We’ve recalibrated the system so more healing magic will be present during the procedure.” A woman spoke softly, her graying black hair falling in front of her muddy brown eyes.

“Then let’s begin.” 

The woman nodded before pressing a button on the panel before them. The machine began to make a low rumbling sound, both monster, and daemon jumping in fright while looking up at the roof of the machine. It was like a wall of electricity was slowly falling down the mesh separating them, and as it fell a sharp pain began to take hold of them as a thick band of gold Dust that connected them appeared from their chest.

“Clio!” The rabbit monster screamed in agony, falling back against the far wall while his cat daemon tumbled to the floor. As the wall of electricity fell lower, the golden band connecting the two together began to break. At the same time, the two separate chambers they sat in began to glow green with healing magic, halting the sudden appearance of Dust that had slowly begun to fall off them.

“Please…stop.” The monster begged weakly. “I can’t…I can’t feel her. I can’t feel anything.”

A single tear fell from his eye as the bond was finally cut between them. He slumped to the floor, glassy eyes looking at his daemon who blinked owlishly back at him. The sound of footsteps made the monster look up to see a man with steel gray eyes and short brown hair. He was wearing a navy blue suit and by his side was a beautiful tigress with honey gold eyes.

“A perfect success.” The man all but purred, a sickening smile stretching across his face.

“What success?” The monster asked in a monotone voice.

“All the previous subjects died during the procedure. You are the first to survive.” The man hummed thoughtfully as he stared down at the monster’s daemon who stared right back at him with no emotion in her eyes. “Now for stage two.”

The monster could only watch as black sand seemed to burst from the man's hands, surging towards his daemon and seeping into her eyes, ears, nose and mouth while she screamed. It only lasted a few seconds before the sand vanished into her body, the screamed falling silent as a shift occurred over her body. The once orange, black and white fur turned coal black while her bright blue eyes bled into milky white. She stood stock still before a hissing shriek emitted from her mouth, body looking to be made from shadows. The man chuckled, opening the door to let her out while dragging his hand down her back.

“Isn't she just beautiful.” He asked. “The perfect weapon, able to move silently and kill quicker than most humans.”

The monster just stared, unable to feel horror or revulsion towards the man. He gazed at what was once his soul, his other half but was now just an empty shell like he was. The Shade shrieked again, black tendrils floating off of its back and whipping about in the air as it began to walk beside the man, its master.

“It would seem Project Soul-Jack is a complete success Mister Lin.” The woman spoke up as she appeared by the man's side, a naked mole rat sitting on her shoulder.

“It would seem so.” Rowan agreed, eyes never straying from the crumpled form of the monster before him that just stared right back with glassy eyes.

“What should we do with him, Sir?” The woman asked.

“Send him back.”

“Back? But Sir, monsters will instantly blame humans for his condition and he’ll tell.” The woman argued as Rowan turned to leave.

“No he won’t, not if certain measures are taken. And to be honest, I don’t care if humans are blamed for this. I don’t care about this petty fude between us and monsters. All that matters now is continuing with Stage 3.” Rowan growled before leaving the room, his tigress daemon and the Shade trailing after him with a final call of, “Cut his vocal cords, then he won’t talk, and get the others. I want to get our plan underway.”

The monster just laid there lifelessly as this all happened, all feeling and emotion gone from his body. There was only one thought that filled his being now, one thing that seemed to matter.

“I wish I was dead.”

(Line Break)

Sans breathed slow and deep, golden eye lights staring intently at the government building standing before him. He was waiting for a signal, a signal that would let him know he had ten minutes to be in and out otherwise he would run the risk of getting caught. A boy called Lucas was fiddling with the powerboard to the building, shutting down the security cameras and other security devices inside the building while his daemon in the form of a barking owl flew overhead to keep a look out for night watchmen.

“We should be good to go in a few seconds,” Frost whispered to his left while Ember nodded to his right. Their daemons were all in the form of a raccoon. The only difference between them was the colour as there was a rusty red one, snow white one, and burnished golden one.

“I see it.” Gallian hissed, his sharp eyes just picking up on the small flash of light that flashed four times, then three, the signal that all was clear.

“Move in, set watches. Lucas, call us when we have two minutes remaining.” Frost instructed before leading the way towards the building.

“Rodger that Frost,” Lucas called down the comms.

Sans stayed in the middle of the two girls, taking his cues from Frost and letting Ember cover his back. Once they reached the back door Ember stepped up, placing her hand on the door handle and letting her skin heat up. It only took seconds for the door handle to melt off which allowed said door to swing open freely.

“We’re in,” Ember called into her comm.

“Better move quick, you’re down to nine minutes,” Lucas warned.

“Sans, do you still remember the schematics of the building?” Frost asked as they began to rush through the hallways.

“Yes, we take a left here, go down a set of stairs four floors, take another left and keep walking until we reach the third right, then we’ll reach the archive room.” The skeleton recited. 

“You heard the man, let’s move it,” Caedmon said, shifting into his serval form. Gallian was quick to swap out his raccoon form for a light red fox while Caellian went with a shimmering gold polecat. They moved silently through the twisting corridors, practically flying down the flight of stairs before finally the door came into view, a sign that read ‘Authorised personnel only’ attached firmly to the front of it. 

“After you.” Sans smiled, gesturing for Ember to again melt the door handle. The redhead smirked, making short work of the door before leading the way into the room. It was piled with shelves, draws, and desks that had all manner of paperwork stashed on them. Frost and Ember made a beeline for the shelves while Sans made his way over to a nearby desk with the name tag that read ‘Mister Lin Head of Security and Negotiation’ resting upon it. His brow bone furrowed while Caellian leaped up onto the desk, sniffing through the papers as he went while Sans began to type the hack code into the laptop. The skeleton smirked when the code made short work of the passwords and firewalls, making a mental note to thank Lucas later for the code. 

Sans flicked through different folders, eye lights scanning for anything that could be useful or ring alarm bells when suddenly he caught sight of a folder titled ‘Project file 666, Soul-Jack, High security’. A tight feeling began to seep into his soul as he clicked on it, eyes looking at a picture of a strange looking machine that was called the Silver Guillotine (Intercision Chamber). There was also a list of names, some of which he recognized as monsters he’d met either in passing or at Grillby’s. At the top of the list was his own name highlighted in red.

“Caellian, are you seeing this?” Sans whispered.

“Yes. I also found this.” The golden polecat muttered, pushing a document towards his other half. At the top of the document was the title ‘General Oblation Board’ along with a list of names of investors, scientists, and politicians. “I think we should take this with us. The names could prove useful.”

“What about these files, they seem really important and they have names of monsters on them.” Sans pointed out. “They even have our name on there.”

Caellian scowled, opening his mouth to respond when a loud alarm sounded followed by red flashing lights. All the occupants in the room jumped, eyes wide with shock seeing how they still have five minutes left before they would have been discovered. Sans’ golden gaze was drawn to the computer that was also flashing with warnings letting him know that it had been the laptop that had given them away.

“Fall back, security will be on us within 30 seconds,” Ember yelled, running for the door. Caellian shifted, becoming a molten gold Irish wolfhound that bounded alongside Sans.

“Lucas, try and buy us time.” Frost snapped angrily while Caedmon swooped low over her head as a white bellied sea eagle. 

“I can give you 30 extra seconds but that’s all. Their tech is more advanced than I anticipated.” The boy's voice sounded through all their comms. 

“That will have to do.” Frost sighed as they rounded a corner only to be met with three heavily armed men. “Shit looks like those 30 seconds are up.”

“Stand down.” A man shouted, pointing a gun at them.

“Nice to see you too.” Ember snarled, hands lighting up with flames.

“Last chance. Stand down and hand yourselves in.” The same man warned finger curling around the trigger.

“No thanks, I have things to do.” Ember countered before thrusting her right hand out, flames bursting outward and rocketing towards them. There was the sound of a gunshot but Frost was quicker, swinging her left hand upwards and creating a meter thick wall of ice between them that also stopped the bullet in its path.

“Love to stay a chat but I think we’ve outstayed our welcome.” The white haired girl laughed as they dashed back down the corridor.

“There’s a fire exit down that right hallway,” Sans shouted, eyes glowing molten gold as he called for his newly acquired powers. When another armed man rounded the corner Sans stuck his left hand out, a long whip made of golden Dust striking him, sending him flying into the wall and knocking him out.

“You're getting good at that.” Ember gasped as they threw themselves out the fire exit, dashing up the hillside and back towards the alleyways where Lucas would be waiting for them.

“Well, I’ve had two good teachers,” Sans smirked, Caellian giving a hacking cough of amusement. The group ran, disappearing into the night, all while a pair of steel-gray eyes watched them from the shadows. Rowan scowled as he watched the power Sans displayed, eyes locking onto the multi-coloured inverted heart resting within the skeleton’s chest.

“This may complicate things.” He muttered.

“Or play in our favor,” Brigid said with a smile. “His daemon is powerful, even more so now that they have an Alpha soul. This will prove very useful for our plan.”

Rowan smiled at that, hand coming up to rest on the tigresses head. Loud shrieks made him turn to see three Shades standing behind him, their milk-white eyes glaring after the retreating figures. The shades were that of a cat, bear and mountain lion though it was hard to actually tell what animal they were due to their completely black bodies and the long tendrils sprouting from their backs.

“Soon, everything will fall into place and we can begin,” Rowan smirked, the Shades shrieking in an almost excited manner. “The only obstacle now is how to draw the freak into the open.”

“That shouldn’t be too difficult.” Brigid purred. “I hear he has a brother, a brother he is very protective of.”

“Perfect.”


	9. I'm losing myself

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Darkness looms and plans are slowly coming to light. Sans and Caellian must act quick to save all they hold dear, but who can you keep fighting when you lose a part of yourself?

While the mission had gone belly up, in the end, they had still been able to obtain some useful information in the end. Frost and Ember had found incriminating documentation of high ranking politicians stating their desire to see the extermination of monsters with suggestions on how to cause a war between the two species so they could begin killing them. Sans, however, was far more interested in the one document he and Caellian had taken, the ‘General Oblation Board’ document. It didn’t go into detail about what Project Soul-Jack was about but it still had those names of both the investors and the monsters. Sans didn’t know why they had the names of these particular monsters, he only knew it meant bad things for them.

“Look, Jayson, the Nice Cream guy vender’s name has been crossed out along with two other monsters.” Sans pointed out to Caellian who was in his settled form for once.

“His daemon, Clio was a common house cat, a calico if I remember correctly.” The Gaster Blaster rumbled. His eyes drifted to the other two. “I think their daemons had been a bear and big cat of some kind.”

“They're all predators.” Sans summarized as he eyed the list once more. “Besides Clio, all the daemons on here are a large carnivore of some description if I remember correctly.”

“But why would they list the names of monsters with carnivorous daemons?” 

“Maybe they see them as a threat.”

“But that still doesn’t make any sense,” Caellian argued. “There are plenty of dangerous daemons that are herbivores.”

“What other explanation is there?” Sans asked as the frustration began to build. He knew Caellian had a point but the fact remained that there was an ominous feeling surrounding the names, especially their own which was written in red. Said Gaster Blaster opened is mouth to respond when suddenly Caedmon came rushing up to meet them as a snow leopard, his eyes wide with panic.

“You both better come quickly.” He gasped.

“Why, what’s wrong?” Sans asked worriedly, his soul pulsing with fear.

“On the News, another riot has broken out.” The snow leopard said which had both skeletons frowning in confusion.

“The humans have been rioting nearly ever week for the last month, why is this one so special?” Caellian huffed.

“Because that’s just it, it’s not the humans that are rioting, it’s the monsters.” Caedmon all but shouted which had their jaws dropping in shock. Yes, monsters had been angry but they hadn’t actually gone into a full-out riot. Asgore had been trying to keep the fragile peace by preventing more tension but it would seem even the King had failed to keep the peace in the end.

“What caused it? Monsters wouldn’t have gone to such extremes unless there was a reason.” Sans pointed out and the big cat wilted slightly. 

“There have been reports coming in during the last week of monsters going missing. Today three of the monsters were found.” Caedmon muttered and suddenly Sans’ mind flashed back to the list of names, names of monsters with three names crossed out. “Look, just come and see for yourselves. Frost and Ember have the news playing inside the Mess Hall.”

The snow leopard didn’t stick around to hear their response, taking off towards the large wooden building that was the Mess Hall where all the camp members converged for Lunch time, meetings and mission debriefings. Sans and Caellian glanced at each other, molten gold eye lights flashing with fear before the Gaster Blaster was shifting, becoming a soft golden fox as they both took off running. 

The Mess Hall was packed with people and daemons alike, all crowding around the small television that sat up the front of the raised platform. Sans pushed his way through, grumbling at how he was shorter than everybody there but once they all saw who it was they parted like the red sea for him and Caellian, creating a path to the front where Frost, Ember, Caedmon and Gallian stood. Gallian was in his wolf form while Caedmon had opted for an arctic hare, sitting perched on Frost’s shoulder. When the girls saw Sans approaching, they gazed at him in worry before moving aside to show him the TV. What Sans saw froze him in place.

Monsters were packed into the streets, shouting and screaming in front of the building Sans often went to for the meetings with the human leaders. They were throwing things, including the occasional magical attack while human policemen tried to force them back. A female human news reporter was also on the screen, her face pinched with worry while her siamese cat daemon’s tail flicked in agitation.

‘These shocking senses are coming to you live from the city center where monsters have gathered in force after another four monsters went missing. This follows after three monsters went missing last week only to be found yesterday afternoon at the edge of the monster zone. They were rushed to hospital as it became clear that they were missing their daemons. In other news…’

The world seemed to grind to a standstill, Sans’ eye lights shrinking down to mere pinpricks as the last sentence the woman uttered rang through his skull. He could feel Caellian rising by his side, body rippling until he was a massive golden lion that was practically vibrating with anger, fear, and horror. Voices were shouting out to them, trying to draw them back but the Dust was already beginning to swirl before their eyes. Sans and Caellian let the wall they had built fall, minds diving into the visions that were to come.

Jayson, the Nice Cream Guy, sitting in a strange glass cell. His daemon Clio sitting next to him, separated by a mesh screen.

Black sand, a voice screaming and a shade like creature with milk-white eyes.

Papyrus and Amarisa running, eyes wide with terror as loud shrieks echo around them.

Chara and Frisk crying, the red-eyed daemon curling up as a tabby cat in her human's arms.

Himself and Caellian, screaming in horror, the golden markings on the right side of their skull fading to gray as well as their right eye lights.

Sky blue eyes sitting on the face of a white canine.

SANS!

The small skeleton gasped, falling backwards into unnaturally warm arms while near fridged cold hands cupped his face. Blurry figures seemed to dance before his eyes, voices muffled and distant. Somewhere in the background, the gray hooded skeleton could feel Caellian trembling from the aftershocks of the visions that still flashed within their mind's eye.

“Sans, Sans can you hear us?” That voice, it was Ember. Golden eye lights flicked up to meet with sky blue pools that were filled with concern. The red-haired girl's face was pulled into a worried and slightly frightened frown that looked so wrong on her elegant face.

“Ember, it’s alright. I’m here, I’m back.” Sans reassured her, a soft smile tugging at his teeth. “You actually look worried about me Ember. Good to know you’ve warmed up to me.”  
Ember gave a disbelieving snort, head bowing as a small smile began to form on her lips. “Don’t kid yourself, Sans, you could never get under my skin.”

Sans snickered at the pun, feeling proud of himself to have actually gotten his fiery friend to make one. Satisfied that Ember was okay, Sans looked to his left where Frost was hovering, a goofy smile stretching across her face at the puns while her right hand still clutched tightly to his own. Sitting next to her was Caedmon and Gallian, both as wolves once more and between them was Caellian in the form of a burnished gold Airedale Terrier. The smile that had been on his face slipped as their eyes met, the visions playing through their heads once more.

“We need to go back,” Caellian growled shocking all but Sans.

“Go back? But you can’t, we still have so much work to do.” Frost pointed out.

“No, you don’t understand. Papyrus and Amarisa are in trouble. Something terrible is going to happen to them. We need to get back and save them.” Sans pleaded, becoming more frantic as he went on. Despite the fact that it hadn't happened yet he could still feel the phantom panic from the vision in the twin bond, the fear his sibling and his daemon had felt as they ran for their lives.

“What kind of danger?” Gallian asked, licking his lips in worry.

“We don’t know exactly. But it felt…corrupted, detached” Caellian hissed, fur standing on end. That word, it made something inside Sans tighten in terror. He couldn’t place it or understand it, all he knew was that it was wrong and something that should be kept far away from him and all his loved ones. 

“Please, they’re our brother and sister, our family. We can’t leave them.” Sans begged his two friends. The girls sighed, faces softening while their daemons gave Caellian a comforting lick each.

“Alright, you can go. But don’t think for one second that we’re letting you go alone.” Frost stated firmly, sticking a finger in the small skeleton’s face. Sans blinked in surprise, brow bone creasing in confusion as his friends both stood.

“But why would you both help us?” He asked making them laugh.

“Because you're our family bonehead.” Ember laughed much to Sans and Caellian’s shock. That shock quickly melted away into happiness as Sans quickly rushed to walked beside them through the crowd, their daemons walking along by their sides.

“Papyrus and I always wanted more siblings.” He admitted making the two girls smile.

“And we’ve always wanted little brothers to annoy, embarrass, love and protect,” Ember smirked, leaning down to poke the skeleton in the side.

“I hope you know then that the pranks will grow in force. If you're our family you’ll be introduced to our sibling bonding pranks.” Caellian warned. The girls laughed out loud at that, their daemons chuffing in joy as they made their way to the camp entrance and exit. Sans smiled, but he couldn’t help but feel that the events to come were set in stone, no matter how much he wished they weren’t.

(Monster zone, Ebott city)

Papyrus sighed sadly as he and Amarisa made their way home. They had gone to try and help Undyne and Ferdiad control the rioting crowd but had been sent home for their own protecting. While they appreciated Undyne and Ferdiad’s concern for their safety the pair couldn’t help but feel like they were being treated like babybones. 

“Don’t worry Pappy, I’m sure we’ll be able to help them some other time.” Amarisa soothed her other half, her sky blue eyes still filled with so much hope and kindness despite everything that had transpired in the last few weeks.

“I just wish they wouldn’t treat us like we are made of glass.” The tall skeleton muttered making her wilt a little. “I also wish Sans and Caellian were here. I know they said they had something important to do, something that might prevent this war, but they’ve been gone for so long.”

“I know Pap, I miss them too. Whatever they’re doing, it's hurt them and us on occasion but I’m sure they never meant to hurt us, both emotionally and physically. They’ll come home soon.” She said with such certainty that Papyrus couldn’t help but believe her.

“Your right as always Risa. They are after all the siblings of the Great Papyrus and Spectacular Amarisa so they will be just fine.” He declared happily making Amarisa bark excitedly. 

“They’ll be home soon and then we’ll be friends with humans and Frisk and Chara will be able to come back home as well.” She added on, eyes almost sparkling with how much joy they were both feeling. 

With the good mood returned they continued with their walk in higher spirits, Papyrus with his head held high and Amarisa holding her tail high in the air. They chatted about new recipes, reminisced about the fun times they had spent with their twins and their human friend. They were so engrossed in their conversation they almost missed the shadow that darted past them and into an alleyway. The pair froze in place, Papyrus due to curiosity and Amarisa due to a sudden rush of nervousness and unease.

“Hello, is someone there?” Papyrus called out loudly. The sound of something falling over was their answer which encouraged the skeleton to start walking down the alleyway.

“Papyrus, maybe we should just keep walking,” Amarisa suggested warily. 

“But Risa, what if whoever is down there is hurt? What if they are lost and frightened? We can’t just leave them.” Papyrus pointed out. The golden Retriever pulled her ears back to lay flat against her head, tail tucking between her legs to show her unease with the situation but she didn’t try to argue with her other half. Taking that as an okay, Papyrus began to walk down the dark alleyway once more, Amarisa following behind reluctantly. Something about the situation just didn’t sit right with her, didn’t sit right in her soul that she shared with Papyrus. 

“Hello? Please don’t be afraid, for I the Great Papyrus am here to help you.” Papyrus once again called out, his voice gentle and comforting. He was given silence, a silence that hung heavy over them and seemed to press in on them. It made Amarisa’s skin crawl.

(Outskirts of the city)

Sans and Caellian were running faster than they had ever run before. The feeling of dread was growing with each passing second, the feeling that they were already too late. Frost, Ember, Caedmon and Gallian were right behind them, gasping hard but refusing to stop and take a break. They could almost feel the tension that seeped off of their friends in waves which let them know just how urgent the situation was.

“Caellian, they need us. We need to warn them.” Sans panted from atop his daemon’s back, transferring more energy into Caellian to help him go faster. He was in the form of a blazing gold Mustang stallion, his mane a soft pale white.

“How, we don’t have a phone on us.” Caellian snapped, blowing hard as his legs screamed for him to stop.

“Reach out to Amarisa. The bond you share with her is stronger due to the Dust that makes up daemons and bonds. If you reach out to her she might hear you.” Sans instructed. Caellian gave a loud snort, nostrils flaring as he called forth on their shared power of Dust, exhaustion sitting deep within his bones but he pushed it all aside. He focused on the Dust and called out with his shared soul to his sister, called out to her with all his might so he could save her.

(Alleyway Monster zone)

Papyrus frowned in confusion at the silence, trying to ignore the small amount of fear that was beginning to settle within his soul. If someone needed his help he couldn’t let fear overcome him. Amarisa, however, could feel herself giving into the fear. She was trembling, fur standing on end while her upper lip lifted to show her fangs.

“Paps, I don’t like this, this isn't a good idea. We should go find help or just go home.” She growled, eyes wide with fear so that the whites were showing.

“We’ve come this far haven't we, we can’t give up now.” Papyrus insisted even though his voice shook slightly with nervous energy. 

Amarisa growled, body tense and ready to argue when a feeling overcame her. It wasn’t a wrong feeling or even a frightening feeling. It was almost comforting, familiar, like a hug from a relative. She let herself sink into the feeling, jumping when she suddenly felt fear that wasn’t her own flood her system along with a voice that rang inside her skull, a voice that belonged to her brother Caellian.

‘Risa! Run, get out of there right now! It’s a trap, you're in danger. Run Risa please, RUN!’

Amarisa gasped, eyes flying open in panic as Caellian’s voice echoed all around her. “Papyrus, run. It’s a trap, we need to leave.” She shouted, biting into his brown jeans and pulling him backwards just as a black mass shot out towards him. The skeleton shouted in shock, watching as the mass landed a few feet to his right revealing itself to be a large cat-like creature with milk-white eyes and black tendrils sprouting from its back. The Shade swung round to face them, a loud shrieking cry escaping from its mouth before it jumped forward, claws outstretched to sink into Papyrus who screamed in horror. However, a blur of gold cut the Shade off, slamming into it head on with a bloodthirsty growl.  
Papyrus gasped in shock, eye sockets widening as gold and black growled, roared and slashed at each other like feral beasts. It was frightening to watch, the sound of flesh being torn and teeth smashing together filling the air mixed with the bone chilling snarls. The skeleton winced as pain flared along his right arm, a loud yelp echoing through the alleyway that made his soul hurt.

“Amarisa!” The Golden Retriever turned, a snarl still on her lips as she stumbled away from the Shade, right foreleg held flush against her chest. When she had seen that thing heading towards her boy something inside her had snapped causing her to fly at it in a primal fury. The odd thing was that when she touched it she didn’t feel the pain or wrongness that came from touching another being that wasn’t a daemon. It didn’t make sense but she pushed the thoughts aside, limping backwards to stand protectively in front of Papyrus. She narrowed her eyes at the Shade as it slowly made its way towards her, head lowered and mouth agape. She growled hackles raised trying to look bigger, confident that she could take this thing down when suddenly another Shade appeared behind the first, this one looking like a bear.

Amarisa tensed in terror, body going rigid while Papyrus whimpered behind her. “Risa, you can’t fight them both and I certainly can’t either. What do we do?” He whispered.

Amarisa scowled, tail held straight out behind her and legs braced, ready for action. “Run.”

(Ebott City)

Sans cried out, grabbing at his right arm as pain that didn’t belong to him or Caellian laced through the limb causing Ember, Frost and their daemons to call out their names in worry. The small skeleton waved them off while Caellian pushed his legs to go faster, thoughts of what was happening to their siblings making him drive even harder to get to them. 

“We need to hurry, something is attacking them,” Sans yelled. The two human’s eyes widened in horror while their daemons snarled in anger. They hadn't meet Amarisa yet but from what Caellian had said about her she sounded like such a gentle soul. The thought of her being hurt filled them with such anger that it almost surprised them. 

“Where are they?” Frost asked suddenly, her eyes cold and determined.

“Just south of here in an alleyway by an old warehouse,” Sans responded with. Her eyes flashed to the south, quickly zeroing in on said building.

“Caellian changed into something that lives on ice. Caedmon and Gallian do them same.” She yelled, jumping ahead of Sans and Caellian while throwing her arms up in front of her. A path of ice exploded underneath them, its slippery surface carrying them along much faster than when they were running. Caellian shifted, becoming a polar bear with honey gold fur while Caedmon became a white seal and Gallian a rusty red arctic hare. The small group didn’t even stumble, skidding along the makeshift path with practice ease, eyes locked onto their target.

“We’ll make it, we have to make it,” Caellian whispered to himself and Sans, his molten gold eyes nothing but pinpricks.

Their hope vanished when blinding pain exploded across the back of their skulls, vision swimming as they fought to stay conscious. Ember shouted, plucking Sans off Caellian’s back while Gallian and Caedmon became polar bears as well to help support the golden daemons weight.

“What is it, what’s happened?” Ember asked in a panic.

“We’re…we’re too late.” Caellian wheezed as they slowed to a stop.

“What do you mean?” Gallian asked as they arrived at the warehouse, looking around for danger and their friend's siblings. That’s when their eyes all landed on a pile of black sand that was laying next to a puddle of blood with no sign of Papyrus or Amarisa in sight.

“We’re too late.” Sans sobbed, chest constricting in pain. “We were too late.

As Sans and Caellian began to wail in anguish and their friends bowed their heads in defeat, miles away Papyrus and Amarisa awoke inside a cage, a cage that sat next to a strange glass chamber that had two chambers separated by a sheet of mesh.


	10. Half of a Whole

Frisk and Chara were no longer allowed to go and visit Toriel and their monster family. The riots, missing monsters and growing tension between the two races were just proving too dangerous for them to go out with their family anymore. They were stuck at the children’s home with all the other orphaned, mistreated and abused children that had been swallowed up by the system. They still kept up to date with the proceedings of the negotiations and peace talks, would watch the news regarding the missing monster cases. When Jayson, the Nice Cream vendor, and two other monsters had been found without their daemons panic and outrage had sparked like wildfire. Monsters accused the humans, humans accused monsters saying they were looking for a sympathy vote or for a reason to attack them. It was all just one huge mess.

“We all should have just stayed underground.” Frisk sighed, looking down at her hands. Chara was perched on her shoulder as a raven but the daemon had confessed that the form was becoming weak in their repertoire of forms. They were now down to just the raven, dire wolf and tabby cat.

“We can still make it happen,” Chara suggested, their eyes flashing to the buttons only they could see. 

*Reset* *Continue*

Frisk gazed at them, her brown eyes filled with uncertainty as the words of Sans and Caellian echoed in her head. The skeletons had known of their ability, called them a time anomaly and had warned them against resetting the timeline whenever they liked. 

“Terrible things happen to those who meddle with time Frisk. Things might seem normal now but soon you will start to unravel the very fabric of the world. It can’t cope with the strain of constantly going back and changing. One day, when you go back you could cause more harm than good.”

Sans had looked so serious when he’d said that, eye lights gone leaving behind empty eye sockets. Those words still rang within her soul now as she pushed her hand against *Continue* no matter how much she wished to change things.

“We can’t Chara. Everything happens for a reason. If we go back we could end up erasing the world instead of saving it.” The human said. Chara clicked her beak angrily but relented, understanding where Frisk was coming from. Her red eyes snapped up however when the sound of running feet echoed from just outside their room. Looking up found the children running past, heading to the rec room while shouting to each other.

“Something must have happened on the news.” Chara crooned worriedly as Frisk rushed after the other children. When they reached the room, all the children were watching the mounted TV on the far wall, eyes wide in either fear, curiosity or resentment. Frisk and Chara had learned quickly that some of the children felt strongly against monsters living among them.

“What’s happened this time?” Frisk asked a child, a boy named Hadrian if she remembered correctly who had a Koala daemon.

“Another monster has gone missing, but this time it was one of the monsters that live with the royal family,” Hadrian said causing Frisk and Chara to freeze in horror.

“W-what?” It couldn’t be true, it couldn’t be one of their family members. Hadrian turned, looking at them with sorrow. He was one of the few humans who didn’t mind monsters and that was why he got along so well with Frisk and Chara.

“I’m sorry Frisk.” He muttered, moving aside so she could move closer and hear what was being said on the TV.

‘More monsters have gone missing in the last 24 hours, one of which was a member of the delegation meetings and lived with the Royal monster couple. Papyrus the skeleton and his Golden Retriever daemon Amarisa went missing late last night on their way home from trying to help diffuse the tension in the city center yesterday.’

Frisk gasped while clutching at her chest as if in physical pain while Chara shifted, becoming the white dire wolf form she loved. All the children stepped back and stared, some in sympathy and others in sick glee. Hadrian called out to them but they didn’t want to hear it. Wrapping her arms around Chara’s neck, Frisk allowed her daemon to pull her back to their room, locking the door behind them for good measure to make sure they weren't disturbed. 

“They can’t be gone.” Frisk sobbed, burying her face into Chara’s shaggy coat.

“I hate them even more, I wish humans didn’t even exist.” The wolf snapped, red eyes flashing with rage.

“Be careful where you say that.” The two of them jumped in fright, swinging around to stare at the far corner of their room where a pair of golden eye lights stared right back at them. For a moment they didn’t recognize him. He looked so different in a gray hoodie, black jeans, golden eye lights and golden markings along his skull. But once they looked past the changes they could still see the unmistakable face of their friend and brother figure.

“SANS!” Frisk was moving within seconds, crashing into her friend and squeezing him for all she was worth as tears ran down her face.

“Hey Kiddo, good to see you again,” Sans muttered, pressing his face into the girl's soft brown hair.

“We just heard the news. I’m so sorry Sans.” Chara said, limbering over slowly while looking around in growing horror. “Where…where’s Caellian?”

Her question had Frisk jerking backward in shock, her eyes looking everywhere for the Gaster Blaster that was nowhere in sight. She was suddenly filled with fear, had Sans been taken and ended up like those other monsters without his daemon? However, Sans just smiled and turned to his hoodie which drew their eyes as well. Said eyes widened when a small golden snake slithered out from under the clothing, molten gold eyes flashing with amusement.

“Hello, again children.” Caellian greeted, shifting so that he was a shimmering golden Falcon.

“But how?” Frisk gasped in awe.

“Through training and time,” Caellian answered softly, eyes displaying the grief he still felt over the loss of his siblings.

“This is why you’ve been gone so long, and why you look different.” Chara guessed. 

“Yes, and even with these new abilities we still couldn’t save our brother and sister.” Sans bowed his head causing the white wolf to scowl.  
“Don’t say that there’s still time.” She argued.

“You’ve seen the news kid, you’ve seen what happens to the monsters who are taken.” Sans pointed out bitterly.

“Their daemons are cut away,” Frisk whispered. “But I thought it wasn’t possible with monsters. You told me that if a monster had their daemon cut away they would die.”

“And they do, or so we thought. The humans must be doing something that stops the monster from dying when they cut them. Why, though, we still don’t know.” Caellian agreed.

“That doesn’t mean you should give up.” Chara insisted angrily. “There’s still time, you can still find Papyrus and Amarisa, you can still save them.”

“We don’t know where they’ve been taken. Even with our ability, something is blocking us from sensing where they are.” Sans snapped right back. “Don’t you think we’ve already tried? They’re our siblings, our twins, we’d do anything for them.”

Chara wilted, shrinking down to her tabby cat form as she realized how harsh she had been. Papyrus and Amarisa meant the world to Sans and Caellian, of course, they would have already tried to find them. Looking at them showed deep circles under their eyes while their backs hunched over in defeat. Everything about the screamed of a hopelessness that came from losing something important.

“I’m sorry.” Chara sighed, looking down in shame. Sans and Caellian softened, bodies slumping against the wall slightly while Frisk sniffed softly beside them.

“Is there anything you know that can tell you why they were taken?” She asked hopefully. 

“No, we had a list of names but they weren't on there which is why we were taken off guard. They also don’t really match the criteria of monsters being taken.” Sans sighed while tugging at his sleeves in a nervous manner.

“What do you mean?” Frisk pushed.

“Besides Jayson, all the monsters taken and on the list had a daemon that was a large predators. Amarisa, while a predator of some description isn’t all that large so we don’t understand why they were taken.” Caellian explained. Frisk frowned while Chara rumbled worriedly, hackles beginning to stand on end as a thought entered her mind. 

“Maybe they didn’t intend to take them. Maybe they only took them because they needed something else.” She growled.

“Needed what?” Sans asked.

“Were you and Caellian on the list?” She asked back. Her words had Sans and Caellian tensing in horror as they realized what she was implying.

“You think they took them to draw us out?” He muttered weakly. “Oh God, this is all our fault.”

“No, Sans, don’t think that.”Frisk began but was cut off by Caellian snapping his beak angrily, changing into a clouded leopard as he jumped down to the floor.

“If not for us our siblings would still be here safe and sound! Because of us, we may have just condemned them to separation!” He shouted, tears gathering within his piercing golden gaze.

“Would Papyrus and Amarisa want you to blame yourselves? Feeling sorry for yourself won’t help them.” Frisk shouted right back. Her determined red soul sparked violently, the red energy licking her fingers as the options of *Reset* or *Continue* flashed beside her. Sans and Caellian eyed them warily, feeling the threads of time shivering with the strain they had already been put under from the child’s time in the underground.

“Shouting isn’t going to fix things either.” A female voice pointed out once again making Frisk and Chara jump in fright. They turned to see two teenage human girls climbing through their window, their daemons sitting on their shoulders as white and red dragons.

“Always the voice of wisdom Frost,” Sans stated in a deadpan voice making the white haired girl chuckle.

“Well someone has to be.” She pointed out cheekily. 

“Did you find anything at the security compound that could tell us where they are?” Caellian asked hopefully only to slump when Ember shook her head sadly.

“Sorry, we looked through everything we could find before our time was up but there was nothing. They’ve cracked down on security since our last visit.” Ember said.

“Umm, not to be rude but who are you two?” Chara snapped from the side, red eyes flicking between the two newcomers. The three friends and their daemons blinked in surprise as if they had forgotten that Frisk and Chara were there before smiling sheepishly.

“Sorry kiddo. The white haired girl is Frost and her daemon is Caedmon while the red head is Ember and her daemon is Gallian.” Sans introduced. 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you both.” Frisk extended her hand politely and shook both girls hands.

“Likewise.” Frost nodded.

“I take it you two have been keeping an eye on these two for the last few months,” Chara said.

“Yep, we taught him everything we know and now he’s all grown up, isn’t it magical?” Ember gasped dramatically making Frost giggle, Sans snort and Frisk and Chara scoff.

“I can see why your all friends,” Frisk smirked to Sans who just shrugged helplessly. His smile faded however as he felt whatever was blocking his connection with Papyrus lift, allowing him to feel what his twin was feeling, allowing him to feel the fear at what was about to happen.

(Secret location, Silver Gelatin Room)

Papyrus struggled against the humans that were pulling him towards the glass chamber, a chamber that two other monsters and their daemons had gone in while he’d been trapped in his cell forced to watch. Amarisa was screaming loudly as she was forced onto one side of the mesh, Papyrus on the other.

“Please, we didn’t do anything! Please don’t do this, let us go!” She howled, throwing herself at the mesh to try and get to Papyrus.

“Why are you doing this, you’ve been hurting innocent monsters.” He cried, pressing his hands flat against the mesh to try and feel Amarisa’s soft golden fur. The man who seemed to be in charge, the one who used the black sand to change the daemons just smiled from the sidelines, his tigress daemon smirking by his side. “We trusted you, we thought you wanted to help us.”

Rowan laughed at that, remembering Papyrus from the meetings and how the skeleton had been so grateful towards him and all he did to help monsters. “You see, that’s you biggest flaw Papyrus, you trust too easily. Your brother, on the other hand, he was smart, he didn’t trust anyone. I liked that about him, showed he wasn’t an idiot.”

“We’re not idiots either.” Amarisa snarled, her blue eyes flashing in warning. 

“I beg to differ.” Brigid scoffed.

“Why are you doing this anyway? What do you have to gain by making monsters hate humans?” The golden retriever asked. 

“Oh, nothing at all my dear,” Brigid confessed. “But, massing an army of powerful daemons that will listen to anything we say? Now that is definitely something to gain.”

“An army, what would you need an army for?” Papyrus gasped in shock. 

“For Plan Alpha 666,” Rowan smirked but refused to say any more on the matter. Instead, he walked to the control panel, hand hovering over the activation button. “Any last words?”

“You won’t get away with this. People like you, you're always destined to fall, one way or another.” Papyrus spoke in a rare display of anger. The man just scoffs, steel gray eyes flashing with amusement as he pressed the button.

The electric wall began to creep down the mesh, the golden bond connecting Papyrus and Amarisa springing to life between them as it was slowly cut down. They whimper, falling backwards against the glass walls, eyes never leaving each other. As the wall of energy falls lower they begin to scream and as they do, the golden markings on the right side of Papyrus’ skull slowly begin to bleed to gray, the beautiful colour fading with each strand of the bond that is cut. And as their bond is cut, another bond slowly begins to tear, jerking violently in an effort to both sooth and repair itself causing more pain.

“Risa…Sans…STOP!” Papyrus screamed at the top of his lungs as the electrical wall finally cut the bond in two, black sand rushing to envelop Amarisa who howled in anguish alongside him, the twin bond growing ridged before bursting into a shower of glittering silver particles.

(Ebott city, Children’s home)

It felt like a part of themselves had just died. Like half of their body had given up and gone numb, all feeling leaving that side of their body while the other side screamed for the loss. The pain had been unbearable, but it was nothing compared to the feeling of the twin bond shattering. Sans and Caellian gasped, the daemon shifting to his settled form as the golden markings on the right side of their skulls faded to gray along with their right eye lights. Their friends called out their name but it was distant like they were trapped under water. Sans tried to reach out for his twin, tried to feel the connection between them, but there was nothing. All was silent and empty between them.

“I can’t…I can’t feel him.” Sans whimpered, pawing at his chest in a desperate manner.

“She’s gone.” Caellian sobbed alongside him, tail coming up to curl around his smaller half. 

“You can’t mean that…” Ember trailed off, her voice finally cutting through the void the two had found themselves in. Sans let out a choked sob, hands flying up to hold the sides of his head as tears began to flow down his face.

“They cut them!” He screamed, golden Dust suddenly swirling around them violently in response to their emotions. Frisk and Chara screamed, thinking they were dying while Frost, Caedmon, Ember, and Gallian rushed forward. The girls pulled their skeletal friend into a bone crushing hug while their daemons in their settled forms began to groom, rumble and comfort Caellian.

“I’ll kill them.” The Gaster Blaster hissed, body trembling in an effort to regain control. “I’ll kill them for taking her.”

“We’ll make them pay, but killing isn’t the answer and you know it.” Gallian rumbled warningly.

“I want them to hurt as we have, to feel what she felt when they cut them.” Caellian whimpered, the phantom pains still racing through his body.

“Just try to relax and breath. That’s all you need to focus on right now, both of you. We’ll figure things out later but right now, right here, take a deep breath and let it go.” 

Caedmon instructed calmly. Both Caellian and Sans trembled, fighting back the emotion that was begging to be released, not wanting to let go because if they did then it would make it far too real. The girls and their daemons frowned in concern, not knowing how they could help when a small hand suddenly appeared, taking Sans’ in their own while small paws pressed up against Caellian’s skull. They looked up into brown and red pools that were filled with tears, the eyes of their friends.

“It’s okay,” Frisk whispered. 

It was the magic word that broke the wall, tears overflowing from eye sockets as their bodies just collapsed into shaking messes. Frisk and Chara were there throughout the breakdown, offering physical and verbal comfort as they also grieved for their lost friend. It took nearly half an hour before Sans and Caellian calmed down enough to pull away and pull their magic back under control. Sans sniffled, wiping his eye sockets before suddenly noticing a subtle difference between Frisk and Chara.

“You’ve settled.” He pointed out making them blink in surprise. They glanced at each other, Chara trying to change shape but finding she could not. Instead of feeling sad at not being able to change shape or at the circumstance of their settling, they both smiled at each other, Frisk pulling Chara close.

“Can’t say I’m surprised, after all, we all thought you’d end up like this,” Frisk said to her daemon who purred up at her. Chara had settled as a white tabby cat with brown stripes and blood red eyes.

“It's who we are and I wouldn’t change a thing.” She sighed.

“Congratulations.” Caellian hummed, leaning down to press his muzzle against Chara’s head. She closed her eyes, pressing up against the touch happily. When they pulled away she gazed up into his golden stare.

“What happens now?” She whispered.

“We wait for them to release Papyrus, and then we make them pay.” He growled right back.

“I think we should go find the others Caellian. The time for hiding is over.” Sans said suddenly making the girl's eyes widen in shock.

“Are you sure your both ready?” Ember questioned.

Sans stared up at her with a hard gaze. “They have made it personal by hurting my family. They’ve crossed a line and it cannot go unpunished.”

“But isn’t this what they want, to draw you out into the open?” Frisk asked worriedly. 

“Then we’ll give them what they want, but they’ll get more than they bargained for.” Caellian declared, standing up to his full height. “Our powers have grown and developed, we’ll give them not only a fight they’ll regret but one hell of a bad time.”

“You won’t be going alone then,” Frost stated. “We’re in this together, till the very end.”

Sans smiled at that, reaching out to take her freezing cold hand. “I wouldn’t want it any other way.”

“Can we help?” Frisk asked.

“No Frisk, this is far more dangerous than anything you faced in the underground. I wouldn’t forgive myself if something happened to you and you can’t risk another Reset. I don’t think the timeline could take the strain of another Reset.” Sans said firmly making the child wilt slightly but nod in understanding. 

“Just promise us that you'll be careful, all of you.” Frisk pleaded making the skeleton smile.

“You know we hate making promises.” He reminded her playfully.

“Don’t care, make the promise bonehead.” Chara huffed but she was smiling as she said it.

“Alright, I promise.” Sans chuckled, ruffling Frisk’s hair. He stepped back, Frost and Ember already climbing back through the window with their daemons. “I also promise that this will be over soon. You’ll be back with Toriel and the rest before you know it.”

They didn’t wait to hear a response, Caellian shifting into a light gold otter as both he and Sans jumped out of the window. Frisk watched them leave while Chara jumped up onto their bed, tail flicking with nervous energy.

“I really hope he’s right Char.” Frisk sighed.

“We’ll just have to hold onto to hope my girl and pray for the light of the end of the tunnel.”


	11. Wake me from this terrible nightmare

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really sorry for the day late update, I honestly just forgot about it as I went on an excursion to SeaWorld for the whole day so yeah, sorry.

By the time Sans, Frost, Ember and their daemons reached the house of the royal family and friends the two skeletons were barely able to walk on their own. It would seem that having their twin bond broken was taking a bigger toll on them than first thought. When asked about it, Sans just said he felt off balance and short of breath, like someone had taken one of his lungs. Ember assured him that it was probably a temporary side effect and that once their body got used to the change they would be just fine but even she was worried about the possibility of lasting side effects. For now, though, they just need to get Sans and Caellian inside where they would be safe and be able to recover.

Frost knocked on the door, Ember gently guiding Sans to her side to he could lean against her while Caellian slumped to the floor as a golden polecat. Gallian whined worriedly, nosing at his friend who just huffed weakly while Caedmon flicked his tail in nervous worry. Thankfully, it was Toriel and not Undyne who opened the door meaning they weren’t going to get a spear to the face.

The motherly Goat looked so run down though that it made Sans’ soul hurt. She had deep bags under her eyes and she wore a lilac long sleeved shirt with a white blouse over it with a sky blue skirt. The clothes were rumpled and creased meaning she hadn’t been looking after the clothes like she normally did. However, when she saw who was at the door a spark of life seemed to appear back in her eyes and Sans suddenly realized what was getting her down. She had lost all her children once again. First, he and Caellian had up and left, then Frisk and Chara had been taken away from her and finally, Papyrus and Amarisa were kidnapped. It left a sour taste in his mouth that didn’t seem to want to leave.

“Sans? Is that really you?” Toriel whispered while Conchobar gave a soft chirp of worry, eyes looking around for Caellian’s massive form and not thinking that the small golden polecat could possibly be him. 

“Yeah, Tori, it’s me.” Sans sighed only to yelp when he was yanked away from Ember’s side and pulled into a warm, firm comforting hug. For a moment he sat ridged in Toriel’s arms, unsure on what to do before he slowly relaxed, arms coming up to wrap just as tightly around her while he buried his face into the soft fur of her neck. In that moment Sans had to fight the tears that wanted to fall as thoughts of Papyrus filled his mind, thinking back to how his twin would hold him just as tightly after a nightmare.

“My child, I thought I would never see you again.” Toriel was nearly sobbing with relief at having at least one of her children back safely in her arms. When Papyrus and Amarisa went missing she couldn’t help but think back to when Asriel and her human child had met their end. She thought she had lost all her children all over again. 

“I was always gonna come back, Tori. I’d never leave you and the others forever.” Sans protested causing the Queen to chuckle.

“Oh I know Sans, but with everything that has happen in the last few weeks, I feared you had been taken by the ones responsible for all the other disappearances,” Toriel said, her face falling as she thought of Papyrus. She looked down at Sans suddenly, her eyes filling with barely concealed hope. “You haven’t heard from Papyrus at all have you? Did he possibly go out to look for you?”

She so desperately wanted it to be true, to believe that Papyrus hadn’t been taken by these horrible humans, but when Sans’ face fell she felt her hopes die. And the way his face crumpled with tears springing to the corners of his eye sockets had her very soul shaking with fear. Conchobar finally could o longer keep quiet, pushing forward so he could look the small skeleton in the eyes.

“Where is Caellian and what has happened to Papyrus and Amarisa?” He asked brokenly. Sans look at the snow leopard before turning to face the golden polecat on his shoulder and nodded. Caellian jumped from his other half’s shoulder, landing on the floor where he changed and grew in size till he was in his settled form, gold and gray eye lights gazing down at the group, two of which were gaping in disbelief.

“Impossible.” Conchobar breathed and Caellian chuckled despite himself.

“I’ve heard that a lot in the last few days yet here I still stand.” He rumbled down at the smaller daemon. 

“Sans, what have you been up too?” Toriel questioned causing Sans to smile weakly.

“It’s a long story, but I guess the shortened version is that this is the reason I had to leave.” He said. The former Queen sighed before opening the door wider, assuring in her ‘child’ and his two friends. Walking into the living room found Tagore, Undyne, Alphys and Mettaton sitting waiting for Toriel’s return. Their eyes widened when they saw Sans however and the two humans.

“Sans? What are you doing here? When did you get back and who are they?” Asgore asked.

“These are my friends, Frost and Ember and their daemons Caedmon and Gallian.” Sans introduced. The girls smiled and waved, their daemons bowing their heads respectively while Caellian huffed and flopped to the floor, shifting into a burnished gold tiger as he went causing shocked cries throughout the room. He rolled his molten gold and smoky gray eye, refusing to look at anyone leaving Sans to do the talking. And talk he did. He told them everything, from his training, obtaining his Alpha soul, breaking into the government building, and eventually explaining the twin bond and what had happened to Papyrus and Amarisa.

“That’s also why our right eye and the markings on the right side of our skulls have faded to gray because the bond has shattered between us.” Sans finished sadly, waving at said eye. This made all those listening bar the girls gasp in horror, staring intently at the gray markings decorating the right side of Sans’ skull.

“So Amarisa is really gone?” Ferdiad whimpered from Undyne’s shoulder, staring at Caellian who grew tense where he lay, lips pulling back to reveal pearly white teeth.

“I can longer feel her so yes, she is gone.” He hissed. The dragon whined, pressing into the scales of Undyne’s neck causing her to reach up and stroke his own, unshed tears glistening in her eyes at the thought of her friend and what he must have gone through during the separation. The sadness quickly turned to anger towards whoever had done it making her fists clench by her sides.

“I will kill whoever did this.” She growled.

“You’ll have to get in line then,” Sans muttered darkly causing her eyes to widen in surprise. Sans was lazy and also preferred not to fight if he could help it. He was much happier letting other people fight for him. But then Undyne remembered that this was his brother they were talking about, of course, Sans wouldn’t take this lying down. 

“Enough, I will hear no more talk of violence. Hasn’t there been enough as it is?” Toriel snapped. She glared at everyone, flames licking at her fingers as a warning.

“There will always be violence in the world, it is woven into the very fabric of existence. Animals kill other animals to survive, nature itself is violent during natural disasters. There will always be violence, long after the time of men and monster alike.” Caellian rumbled from where he lay.

It was silent for a moment, all eyes looking at the golden tiger in shock before Ferdiad huffed, shaking his elegant head in bemusement, “Sometimes your too smart for your own good Caellian.”

The tiger smiled a full tooth smile, lips curling to almost look like a twisted snarl, “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

“Well, you have to take them as often as you can seeing how you don’t get them that much.” Gallian teased, jumping back when Caellian made a halfhearted swipe at the wolf.

“Play nice you two.” Ember chuckled causing Gallian to give her a wolf smile with involved his tongue hanging out of his mouth while Caellian gave a soft rumbling growl of acknowledgment. The monsters were now looking at the two human girls who had remained nearly completely silent through Sans’ story, only piping up when they felt it was needed.

“S-so you b-both ha-have Alpha S-souls?” Alphys asked nervously. Frost smiled gently at the reptile monster while Ember nodded in confirmation. They both paused before lifting their hands to their chests, gently drawing their souls out for all to see. All the monster’s and their daemons stared at the glowing opal like souls in awe, trying to name all the colours they could see but finding it impossible. There were colours they had never even seen before, some they didn’t even think were possible and it was just mesmerizing to watch. Sans and Caellian smiled at their family’s reaction, loving the wonder that was painted even on Undyne’s face. The small skeleton nearly laughed when he saw the look on Mettaton’s face, a look of complete admiration for the beauty that was an Alpha Soul. 

The smile faded however when both he and Caellian felt a change in the air, a change in the shifting of the Dust surrounding them. Their eyes strayed from the scene in front of them to gaze at the tiny golden particles only they could see, watching as they buzzed with an energy that was the complete opposite of their own. Sans, who had a love for science, watched as the positive particles that were the golden Dust particles began to move towards the far window. He knew that opposites attracted in the science world. But what was the opposite to Dust? Caellian suddenly went stiff as a board, hackles raising while Sans felt his soul pulse with magic that was fighting to the surface, ready to protect and defend. In that moment, Sans caught a flash of black from the window accompanied by a pair of milk-white eyes staring back at them.

“GET DOWN!” No sooner had the words left Sans’ mouth did two black shapes crash through the window, loud shrieking cries echoing all around the room. One of the shapes that looked to be that of a big cat of some kind lunged towards Alphys who screamed in terror, clutching Sualtam to her chest. She turned so her back was facing the beast, closing her eyes and preparing for pain that didn’t come. Looking up found a wall of ice separating her and the now howling Shade, Frost standing by her side with narrowed eyes and outstretched hands.

“NGAHH! THAT’S MY GIRLFRIEND!” Undyne yelled before throwing herself towards the Shade, spears in hand while Ferdiad roared in fury. The Shade hissed, the black tendrils on its back lashing out towards the warrior women and slamming her into the wall.

“Undyne!” Alphys screamed, rushing to her partner's side while the others watched on in shock. Ember quickly rushed to stand by Frost’s side while Sans lowered his head slightly, glaring daggers at the two Shades now standing in the living room. The second one looked like a house cat and was yowling like it was possessed by the devil itself. The skeleton felt his left golden eye glow with power while Caellian rose up beside him, still as a burnished gold tiger. He lifted his hands, not even flinching when two whips made of golden Dust appeared in his hands.

“You should not have hurt my brother.” He hissed before lashing out, swinging one of his whips and feeling satisfied when it struck the larger Shade in the head.

The fight became a blur, especially when Undyne and Asgore joined the fray. There was fire, ice, magic and Dust everywhere accompanied by the near deafening shrieks of the Shades. Sans and Caellian were slowly backing the larger one into a corner, getting ready to finish it off when a second window shatter and a force slammed into the small skeleton’s side. He shouted in shock while Caellian yowled in fury, both turning to attack only to freeze in horror.

The Shade was small, not as small as the house cat one but certainly not big enough to really cause a threat. It was a dog breed of some kind though it was impossible to tell seeing how it was completely black with those unsettling milk-white eyes. However, the shape of the head and body, as well as the faint echo of the bond that sat around it, told the two of them who the Shade was.

“Risa,” Caellian whispered in disbelief. Instead of reacting to her name, the Shade just growled and lunged towards them. Sans and Caellian both dived to the side, eyes wide in horror and pain, neither wanting to attack their sister.

“Amarisa stop, this isn't you!” Sans called out to her desperately. He was trying to work through his emotions, trying to understand what was happening but it was all happening too fast. If Amarisa was here, did that mean Papyrus was as well, was he okay, was he a Shade like Risa was? All these questions slammed into Sans’ skull at a rapid pace, making it hard to focus on the battle at hand. In his distraction, Sans yelped when Amarisa slammed into his side once more, flinching when he felt the phantom pains as she bit into Caellian’s right foreleg. The tiger howl with pain but refused to attack her back, refused to harm his twin in any way shape or form. However, it seemed no one else had made the connecting because suddenly a ball of fire hit the Shade in her side making her scream in pain. Looking up found Toriel glaring hatefully at the Shade, fire dancing along her finger in her rage.

“Please, you don’t understand.” Sans wheezed softly, to softly to be heard. Both he and Caellian watched as Amarisa rushed to rejoin the fight with the larger Shade leaving them behind wounded, confused and emotionally hurt. “Risa.”

A sudden pain in their neck made them cry out, Caellian reacting on instinct lifted his un-injured front leg and pulled whatever it was off his back and slammed it onto the floor. Without even pausing he leaned down and bit into the house cat Shade’s neck. The Shade screamed for a few second before growing limp as a loud crack sounded throughout the room as its neck broke in two. All was still and silent for probably three seconds before the Shade burst into a shower of black Dust, drifting away into the air. The two remaining Shade hissed one final time before rushing back out of the window leaving the small group winded, shocked and shaken.

“My child,” Toriel whispered as she made her way towards Sans, her hands alight with green healing magic. She ran her hands above Caellian’s leg and neck, never touching but allowing her magic to brush against the wounds to knit skin back together. Both Sans and Caellian sighed in relief as the pain slowly ebbed away, only leaving behind a dull ache.

“Thanks, Tori.” Sans smiled weakly even though inside all he wanted to do was find a nice quiet place to hide. He felt unhinged by what had happened. Those Shades, whatever they were made of had reacted with the Dust in the air, they were composed with the natural opposite to Dust yet at the same time the Shades still had echoes of what they used to be, Daemons. Sans and Caellian looked around at the living room that now lay in shambles. Toriel had moved on to the others, slowly healing their wounds while asking if they were okay. Without thinking Sans quickly sought out Frost and Ember, relieved to see that both girls were okay and smiling at each other, arms intertwined and seeking comfort from the other.

“This is bad Caellian. If this is what’s happening to the missing Monsters daemons, then I don’t know how we’ll be able to fix things.” Sans sighed. Caellian huffed, shrinking down till he was a white-gold dingo so that Sans could wrap his arms around him.

“I fear that the real war isn’t against monsters and humans dear one. I believe it’s monsters and humans against a greater evil.” He said. Sans hummed in agreement, eye lights watching his human friends as they walked around offering their help in cleaning up the mess, hands still clasped together while their daemons rested against each other, Caedmon sitting on Gallian’s back as a serval.

“People are going to get hurt,” Sans muttered.

“People have already been hurt. But we’ll find a way to make sure the casualties won’t be as high as they could be.” Caellian vowed. Sans nodded, his soul pulsing with the resolve to figure out the mystery that was taking over their lives.

(Secret location, Silver Gelatin Room)

Rowan watched as only two of the three Shades returned from the attack, eyes narrowed when the Shades hissed and whimpered up at him. When the Shade that had once been the daemon to that stupid skeleton hissed something, however, a smirk crossed his face.

“Well, well, well. Now that is interesting indeed. They did mention on the news just moments ago that he had passed away. Seems we now know why.” He chuckled. The smile faded however when the other Shade hissed something as well. “What? He sensed you coming?”

Rowan scowled while Brigid snarled in fury. The Shades cowered away from them, whimpering pitifully in hopes that they wouldn’t be punished. In the end, Rowan thrust out his right hand, smirking when a whip made of black Dust struck both Shades sending them running in fear.

“No matter my dear, this is just a minor setback in our plan,” Rowan assured Brigid before holding out his hand once more, smirking as the Dust swirled until it formed an inverted heart. “Soon we shall have the final piece. The soul of the earth’s child, the one born with the soul sight, the one with a soul more powerful than there has ever been.”

Rowan chuckled, hands closing around the heart and watching as it crumbled away into nothing, eyes gleaming with greed and hunger for power.


	12. Heal what has been hurt, save what has been lost

Every action has a consequence, whether good or bad. Every choice, step, word and decision all led to different outcomes, some of which we never intended to happen. Sans had never though how much this rang with truth until he was sitting before the TV with his family, watching the news about the sudden and unexpected death of Jayson, the Nice Cream vendor. He had been the first monster to go missing and was also the first to come back without his daemon. He, along with the other recovered monsters, had been kept in a special ward in the hospital. However, it seemed that late in the afternoon the previous day Jayson had died for no reason at all. Monster and Human doctors alike were completely stumped on why this had happened which was causing panic to rise within the monster community for the remaining monsters.

“We need to figure this out now!” Undyne shouted. “If Jayson has died then the others might die as well including Papyrus.”

“We don’t even know how they are separating monsters from their daemons yet let alone where Papyrus is.” Ferdiad snapped back, always the level headed one out of the two of them. 

“N-normally the m-monster that has gone m-m-missing would have s-shown up by now” Alphys pointed out worriedly. None of them wanted to acknowledge this piece of information but it was all sitting in the back of their minds. It had been two days now since Sans had declared that Papyrus and Amarisa were cut and still there was no sign of Papyrus. All the other monsters had been left outside their homes and it was estimated that it was probably just hours after they had been cut. So why hadn't Papyrus been dropped off? Why was he being kept? It was filling them all with stress and dread, none more so than Sans and Caellian. 

The two skeletons had left the room as soon as Undyne began to rage about needing to do something because while they agreed with her, they didn’t know what do to. After seeing what had become of Amarisa they felt hollow inside like a hole had been punched right through their chest and bond. Not wanting their friends and family to worry about them they had retreated to their old room which just filled them with an even greater sadness. Papyrus’ side of the room was still so neat and tidy and it looked like he hadn't been able to bring himself to clean their side while they’d been away. It was like time had come to a standstill in their room making it look like the tall skeleton and golden retriever would walk through the door any second. 

“We need to do something.” Caellian rumbled. He’d been in his settled form since the brief battle, taking comfort in it and the memories it held.

“But what can we do? Everything we’ve been working towards seems to be crumbling now. Humans and Monsters are once again on the brink of war, our twin brother and sister have been forcefully cut and now Papyrus is nowhere to be seen.” Sans hissed, gold and gray eye lights flashing with rage and pain. Caellian, however, stayed calm and just watched as his other half succumbed to the stress. “We should never have left the Underground, we should never have made that promise and we should have just killed Frisk and Chara when we first saw them. If we had then none of this would be happening.”

“Now I know you don’t mean that.” The daemon scowled. “You love that human as if she was another sibling and I care deeply for Chara just as I do with Amarisa.”

“But things would be so much better if we didn’t.” Sans cried, hands running over his skull in nervous energy, hating himself for thinking this about someone he viewed as a sister. 

“We can’t live in the past dear one, we must now just look to the future.” The Gaster Blaster sighed, leaning forward to press his skull against Sans’. The smaller skeleton closed his eyes, leaning into the touch and just allowing Caellian’s words to wash over him. They repeated themselves, rolling over and over as if trying to remind him of something.

“Look to the future.” Sans muttered offhandedly when suddenly his eye sockets widened in understanding, “Look to the future! Caellian, that’s it!”

“What is?” The daemon asked perplexed, feeling the others excitement thrumming through the bond when suddenly his own eye sockets widened. “Oh, Dust.”  
“Exactly, we may not be able to view everything in the future but we can still glimpse it. Those glimpses might just help us.” Sans explained with a smile. Caellian, however, looked wary, body tense and tail curling close to his body which had Sans pausing in confusion. “Caellian?”

“We are still new to Dust Sans, we can’t control this power very well. We might not see anything…and we might also see things we’ll regret.”

Sans frowned before looking down at his hands that were clenched by his sides. Slowly, he lifted one hand to gently trace the gray markings on his face that should be a beautiful shimmering gold. “It’s all we have left Caellian. We were given these powers for a reason, I think this might just be it.”

The daemon huffed, shrinking down until he was a metallic golden Retriever that both comforted Sans but also sent a stab of pain through his soul. They could both see the Dust floating meaninglessly around them, waiting to be called upon so they could share their secrets. It wasn’t too hard to reach out to the strands of Dust that connected the present to the future, gently tugging on it as a request to see what it was willing to share. Almost as if the Dust was excited to be called upon it rushed towards Sans and Caellian, their vision being overtaken by gold before they began to glimpse what was yet to come. 

Shades and their monsters, a shattered bond that was hanging on by such a thin thread it was near impossible to see.

Sans and Caellian climbing up Mt Ebbot, falling onto a bed of golden flowers.

Flowey scowling up at them, the faint outline of a canine standing by his side, connected to him by a similar outline of a thread.

Sans moving his hands as if he were weaving, Dust moving to repair a shattered bond.

A white wolf with sky blue eyes and a young Prince crying it utter joy.

Sans gasped as he was suddenly jarred back into the present, blinking when he found himself on the floor looking up at the roof with Caellian lying beside him in a similar daze. For a moment, the pair just breathed and allowed the images they had seen run through their minds. When it processed they sprang to their feet suddenly knowing what they needed to do.

“Write a note so we can go, time is no longer on our side,” Caellian ordered, body growing into that of a sparkling panther. Sans didn’t even know what it was he wrote before the two of them were rushing out the back door and through the forest, back towards the mountain that had served as their prison yet now seemed to hold their salvation.

Climbing the mountain left Sans feeling strange like he was about to embark on a wonderful adventure and he couldn’t help but wonder if all the fallen human children had felt the same way. There was a strange mixture of fear and excitement thrumming through his bones, mind filling with the old tale that he had heard from Frisk. ‘Legends say that those who climb the Mountain never return.’

Why climb a place like that? Was this an adventure for those that wanted to disappear? Sans didn’t really want to think too much about that, especially seeing how Frisk and Chara had climbed this very mountain. 

By the time they reached the entrance to the Underground, the sun was beginning to set casting a brilliant orange, red and golden glow across the sky. It was like a raging fire had exploded across the sky and was spreading through the clouds, a beautiful yet terrifying spectacle to look at. But Sans didn’t have time to watch it, instead, he gazed down a very dark and ominous pit that seemed to have no end. At the very bottom, he could just make out a tiny yellow dot that was their only hope of survival if they jumped. Jumped, now that was the word ringing through the small skeleton’s skull. The hole wasn’t something easily missed meaning that the chances of accidently falling were slim. Looking down, if one didn’t know there was a bed of golden flowers it would be easy to assume you wouldn’t survive the fall. The knowledge left a bad taste in Sans’ mouth.

“We’ll ask later,” Caellian muttered, gently bumping his head against Sans’ hand. Gold and gray locked, a silent understanding passing between them before Sans took a step out into thin air. It was like he was falling in slow motion for he could feel his body gently tipping forward, foot seeking solid ground that just wasn’t there before time sped up once more and he was falling forward, soul swooping much like a stomach would on a rollercoaster. Sans closed his eye sockets, twisting his body so his back would hit the ground first and just going limp, arms being pulled up by his sides as if he were reaching for some form of salvation from the fall while his gray hoodie curled around his skull.

The young monster wasn’t sure how long he fell for. It felt like hours of just drifting through the air when in reality it was probably only a few short seconds before his body landed softly on a bed of golden flowers, the scent of buttercups wafting up into his nasal passage. The sound of a second body hitting the ground finally had Sans opening his eye sockets, looking to the side where Caellian lay peacefully still as a golden panther.

“Well, this is a surprise.” The voice sent a spike of fear rushing through them before it calmed, the bond settling from where it had been flaring with panic. Sans turned his head almost lazily to the side where Flowey sat, the plant's eyes widening in shock at his change in appearance before it melted into a scowl.

“You look awful.” Flowey snippet angrily as Sans sat up. Those soulless eyes flick over to Caellian, narrowing in confusion before turning back to Sans to glare at him. “So why are you freaks here? Come to gloat, show off your seemingly new powers?”

“No, we came to find answers,” Sans replied making the flower blink in surprise.

“What answers could you possibly find in this hell hole.” Flowey hissed.

“The answer to repairing that which should be unfixable.” Caellian rumbled right back. The flower flinched away from his voice, knowing perfectly well that he was weaker than the skeleton and his powerful soul. Flowey had wondered briefly if the pair had come to finally kill him for what he did but it seemed they were here for a different reason, one he couldn’t figure out.

“That makes no sense.” He pointed out.

“To some, yes, but not to us.” Sans shrugged. He hadn't made a move to stand, seemingly content with sitting cross-legged before the genocidal house plant. His eye lights scanned Flowey up and down, seeing what he hadn't been able to see the last time they had met. There was a faint transparent bond connecting the plant to the outline of a canine of some kind, the last remnants of his daemon that should have completely dissipated long ago but had held on when the Prince had been brought back by Alphys. However, with the bond broken the daemon had been unable to take a proper form or to connect herself to Flowey. Thus, he had been soulless, unable to feel except for the rare few occasions when his daemon broke through enough.

“What could you possibly want to fix down here?” Flowey asked, growing uncomfortable with the close scrutiny Sans was paying him. The strange miss-matched eye lights locked with his own eyes while Caellian continued to gaze at something besides Flowey that only he and his boy could see apparently. 

“We want to fix you,” Sans said which had Flowey flinching backward in shock.

“Wh…what do you mean by that?” He at first stuttered before sneering.

Sans didn’t respond, instead, he lifted his hands and took a deep breath. In his vision, he had seen himself moving his hands as if he were weaving the broken bond back together. Focusing on the vision, the bond and his control over Dust Sans began to move his hands. He ignored the shocked gasp from Flowey as the Dust suddenly became visible to his own eyes, keeping all his attention on that task at hand. 

“W-what are you doing. What’s happening to me?” Flowey screamed as Dust began to swarm all around him. He tried to duck underground, tried to escape but the Dust held him in place. He went to summon vines, fully intending to stab the worthless trash bag through the soul when suddenly, feeling flooded his system. Emotions long forgotten such as fear, happiness, sadness, anger and confusion sparked to life leaving Flowey temporarily breathless. He was so shocked he didn’t realize his body was changing until his LEGS! gave out from under him. 

“What?” Bright green eyes gazed in amazement at their body, lifting their hands to flex them before said eyes. They moved down to pat at the stripped jumper he wore, a jumper that had gone from green and yellow to black with gold stripes.

Asriel could only sit there in stunned silence, eyes locked on the small skeleton before him that had slumped back against his daemon in exhaustion. However, Sans was smiling in joy, his eye lights gazing at something behind the young Prince instead of at him which confused Asriel until he heard a soft, angelic voice.

“Azzy?”

Asriel turned slowly, eyes brimming with tears as he looked at the snow white wolf with sky blue eyes. She looked just as beautiful as she did on the day they settled, on the day they died. However, now she was free from blood and unlike the time when she had appeared during his fight with Frisk she was solid, not see through. 

“Morrigu?” He whispered in disbelief. The wolf had tears of her own flowing dow her muzzle as she took hesitant steps forward, afraid that if she moved too quickly she would fade away once again. But when she remained just as solid as before she felt all restraint leave her as she rushed forward, knocking Asriel over in her haste to get to him.

“ASRIEL!”

“MORRIGU!”

The two wrapped themselves around each other, pressing as close as they could while tears of joy, sadness and pain rolled down their cheeks. As the two of them reunited Sans and Caellian sat back and watched while recovering their strength. The small skeleton felt something inside him glow with happiness at seeing the two children reaffirm their bond. To know that he had helped fix that bond, had helped to bring them back together, it was a good feeling.

“We did it.” Caellian sighed. “We’ve found a way to fix things.”

“No everything.” Sans couldn’t help but point out. “We still need to find the one responsible and stop this war from breaking out. We still need to find Papyrus.”

“And we will,” Caellian promised just as Asriel and Morrigu walked up to them on unsteady feet, legs unaccustomed to supporting weight.

“We can’t thank you enough for what you’ve done,” Asriel said with a blinding smile.

“You have nothing to thank us for. It was the right thing to do and it's helped us discovered a new aspect to our powers, one that will hopefully help a lot of monsters.” Sans smiled right back.

“Still, thank you.” Asriel pressed which had Caellian chuckling.

“I like you so your welcome.” The panther smirked. Sans expected Asriel to shy away from Caellian talking to him, for Morrigu to become angry, but they didn’t. They just smiled happily, eyes sparkling with joy.

“Come along, I think there are some people that are going to be thrilled to see you both.” Sans motioned them closer, calling his magic forth for a teleport. 

“Mum and Dad.” Asriel breathed.

Sans smiled at his excitement, gently slipping his hand into Asriel’s while Caellian pressed his forehead to Morrigu’s. They knew they would be in trouble for running off like they did but hopefully seeing Asriel would cool Toriel’s anger enough to let them live. At least now he felt like they had a fighting chance again and were back in the playing field, in with a chance to fix things and save Papyrus and Amarisa.


	13. Fragile strands hold us together

Understandably, Toriel and Asgore were in disbelief at seeing their long dead son alive and well before them. The next hour was full of sobbing, explanations and happy tears. Morrigu hadn’t moved from Emer or Conchabar’s side since they had been reunited, the young wolf licking at their faces as if to reassure them that she was real and with them. Sans and Caellian stayed back from the touching family moment, gold and gray eye lights soft in joy at seeing the happiness they had brought. Frost and Ember were by their side once more, their girls pressing in close which let the small skeleton know that they had been worried when they left. In the short few weeks, they had been together the three of them had become as close as family, always looking out for each other. 

“S-sans.” The timid voice had said skeleton turning to face the reptile who had spoken. Alphys was staring at him in amazement, eyes wide in awe that left Sans feeling uncomfortable. “How were y-you able t-to bring Asriel b-back?”

Her question had all those in the room turning to face them, even the Prince who while having some idea as to what Sans had done was still a little confused on the matter. In answer to Alphys question Sans lifted his hand and focused on the Dust, forcing it to condense till it was visible to everyone else standing in the room causing them to gasp in shock, fear, and awe.

“When I gained my Alpha soul I gained new abilities. These abilities all revolve around Dust and the ability to control and manipulate it. This means I can see it, condense it into physical weapons, see the past present and future with it and recently I discovered I could repair bonds between daemons and their other halves.” Sans explained gently, flicking his wrist to make the Dust spread out into a sparkling shower of tiny stars. His words had eyes widening, some looking envious of the power bestowed upon him while some like Asgore and Toriel looked troubled by the possible burdens that came with them.

“Hang on, if you can see the future why not use that knowledge to change things?” Undyne suddenly asked as her confusion melted away into anger. “You could have seen what was going to happen with Papyrus and Amarisa and stopped it!”

Sans and Caellian winced, minds flashing back to the vision they had of their sibling's capture. “Time is a delicate thing and while the future is not set in stone it is still difficult to change what has been predicted.” Caellian rumbled.

“Is that your excuse for not trying harder?” Ferdiad snapped with a hiss. Caellian snarled, body twisting into a molten gold dragon about the size of a horse, wings flaring out in warning.

“It is what it is. Our powers come with costs, one of which is that most of what we see remains unchangeable. Even if we tried to change what we see we would have just as much of a chance of causing the future we saw as changing it.” He snapped his jaws together loudly making the smaller dragon flinch away in fright.

“You're wise for your age.” The angelic voice had Caellian pausing, eyes turning to lock with sky blue ones resting in a white face.

“I am older than you are your majesty.” He bowed his head to the wolf who chuckled in amusement.

“In appearance yes but not in years young one. I was very much conscious during those years Azzy spent as a flower. I have seen many more years than you have.” She smiled up at him. Instead of feeling affronted by this Caellian felt a smile of his own tugging at his lips.

“I think I am going to like you very much.” He smirked causing the wolf to give a huffing laugh. She then turned those beautiful blue eyes onto the dragon sitting on Undyne’s shoulder and gave him a disapproving look.

“Ferdiad, you know how much Papyrus and Amarisa mean to Caellian and Sans. Do not question their efforts to protect them.” She reprimanded only to have the tiny dragon give a spitting hiss.

“But they knew.” He argued only to fall silent when Morrigu snapped her jaws together loudly.

“Enough! Caellian already explained why they couldn’t save them. Time is an absolute. It takes great strength to change set courses, even ones that aren’t set in stone. Besides, the consequences of changing some events are even great than the tragedies that could have been avoided.” Morrigu growled while her hackles rose in agitation. Asriel had tensed up beside her, his grass green eyes misting over as he thought back to when he’d been a flower constantly tampering with the time streams.

“What could be worse than our friends being severed?” Ferdiad cried which in turn had Caellian and Sams hissing in fury, bones rattling as they felt the Dust wriggle in nervous tension.

“When things are changed from what they were intended it puts a strain on the time stream. Change too much or change something that plays a key role in things to come and you can end up unraveling that time stream.” Sans spat out through clenched teeth. A near burning hot hand rested on his shoulder, the owner of said hand giving the shoulder a comforting squeeze.

“What would happen if the time stream unraveled?” Undyne asked carefully.

“The world as we know it would fade away, everything you know and love including yourself would cease to exist,” Sans spoke in a low emotionless tone that sent shivers up everyone’s spines. Both Undyne and Ferdiad sobered up at these words looking suddenly remorseful for their words towards the small skeleton.

“So you really couldn’t have done something to prevent their capture?” Undyne muttered which had Sans and Caellian eyeing her warily.

“Perhaps we could have done something different, but the path we chose felt the most right. The Dust was guiding us, drew us back to all of you for a reason. I think for now myself and my boy are content to see where it will take us.” Caellian replied.

“But doesn’t that bother you? Doing what the Dust seems to say? It’s almost like you’re a servant to it.” Sualtam asked without his other half's normal stutter. He watched a Cheshire Cat-like smiles spread the two skeleton’s faces, eye lights shining with knowledge only they were privy too. 

“We are all but servants to a higher power.” Caellian purred, body contorting till he was a pale gold lynx.

The answer was vague and disconcerting but predictable from the strange daemon. Caedmon gave a hacking cough of amusement at his answer while Gallian huffed softly. The two, while only having known Sans and Caellian for a few months were completely at ease with their odd ways of looking at the world.

“So, did your visions show you anything else?” Gallian questioned, lying down on the floor and laying his head on his front paws. The wolf’s golden eyes gleamed with knowledge and understanding but also worry as to what the future held for them.

“Those Shades we saw yesterday, they aren’t just shades. They are what has become of the severed monsters daemons.” Sans sighed, looking down when everyone’s eyes widened in horror.

“What happened to them?” Asgore whispered, dreading the answer.

“I’m not entirely sure but I know it has something to do with Dust, just not the one we’re all familiar with.” The small skeleton said making them blink in confusion.

“English nerd.” Undyne huffed.

“In simple terms, they have been corrupted by a negative force that is the polar opposite to Dust. Just before those Shades attacked Caellian and I sensed something in the air, something similar to Dust but also completely different at the same time. I believe it is this force that not only has control over the Daemons but has allowed them to survive without the monster counterpart and vice versa.” Sans explained, trying to make it as simple as possible so everyone would understand.

“I-I get it. It’s l-like a positive m-magnet coming into c-contact with an n-negative magnet.” Alphys stuttered making Sans and Caellian smile.

“We also saw shattered bonds that were hanging on just by a thread,” Caellian added.

“What does that mean then?” Emer questioned.

“It means the bonds can be repaired, Caellian and I can fix them,” Sans stated firmly. For once the griffin didn’t flinch back from being addressed by someone other than her other half. Emer looked at the Judge of monsters and souls, looked at his youthful face with eyes that were far too old. She could see the Determination burning inside him and his daemon and that filled her with confidence.

“What about the one you destroyed yesterday?” Mettaton asked making everyone freeze while Sans and Caellian went ridged where they stood. The golden lynx growled, rippling till he was a burnished golden striped hyena. He looked menacing with his jaw hanging open, eyes wide with pupils dilated.

“You saw the news this morning.” Sans bit out sharply. Everyone tensed, not wanting to believe what Sans was implying.

“You didn’t mean it, you didn’t know.” Toriel rushed to soothe them, freezing when Caellian snapped his jaws at her threateningly.

“We killed him one way or another.” The hyena growled.

“Our LV has gone up,” Sans added on for good measure.

“It was self-defence.” Ember cut in, her sky blue eyes flashing in warning. “We are on the brink of war, killing is something that is bound to happen. Don’t dwell on the past, just move on.”

“She’s right Almita, you’re only hurting yourself by not moving on,” Frost muttered sadly.

Sans gazed at his two friends and mentors, eye lights sizing them up before sighing, shoulders relaxing and back slumping in defeat. When it came to Frost and Ember there was just no way he could argue against them, especially when they teamed up.

“I’ll try Frost.” He sighed. 

“That’s all I can ask for.” The white haired girl smiled, reaching out to link arms with Ember once more.

“So now what?” Conchobar asked. “We now have a way to save the monsters and their daemons but how are we going to achieve this?”

“I want to see the monsters,” Sans spoke up making all eyes widen.

“Sans, I’m not sure it’s a good idea. They aren’t a pretty sight.” Toriel cautioned but the stout skeleton shook his head.

“I need to assess the damage done to their bond. I need to know what I’ll be working with and against.” Sans scowled down at the floor, reaching out with the Dust to just feel the air and ground himself. He could feel Caellian’s form, the wild untamable Dust flowing around him signaling his unsettled form. On the other hand, he could also feel his families daemons, their Dust thick and settled calmly over their bodies. It was strange how quickly the sight and feel of Dust had become normal, When Sans thought back on it he could barely remember what it felt like to not have these powers.

“If you must then I suppose we can head in later this afternoon.” Toriel didn’t look happy but had at least relented to their wishes. Not wanting to deal with the others in that moment, Sans and Caellian slipped outside, sitting down on the soft grass under a tall old oak tree. They could see Mout Ebbot in the distance, a tall imposing giant casting a long shadow over the land. Soft footfalls along with the change in air temperature let them know who was coming up behind them.

“I’ve never been so close to the Mountain before,” Ember muttered, her head slightly lowered while her sky blue eyes gazed at it in wonder and fear. This caught skeleton and daemons attention straight away.

“Why do you fear it?” Caellian asked. Gallian, in the form of a Red Kite, shuddered while his feathers ruffled.

“While we live cut off from the city every human knows the story of the Mountain that steals children away. All children are told from a young age to stay away from it or they will never be seen again.” He explained.

“It helped deter people from climbing it,” Caedmon added on.

“Or made it more desirable.” Sans sighed.

“What do you mean?” Frost tilted her head in confusion.

“When we went up there, the entrance to the Underground where all the humans fell wasn’t hard to spot. It just made me think, you would have to be blind to not see it and fall meaning you either got too close to the edge or…or you chose to fall.” Sans shrugged, mind wondering to a brown eyed girl and her red-eyed daemon, wondering if they had gotten too close or if they had chosen. His words had the two human girls and their daemons gazing at the Mountain in a new found light though some of the fear seemed to have left.

“I suppose it would be a nice place to disappear.” Frost mused. Her words had Ember reaching out to hold her hand while Caedmon sent her a sharp look.

“I don’t know, it would suck not being able to see the sun.” Gallian huffed making Caedmon and Caellian laugh.

“Only you would say that you hot head.” The serval chuckled fondly, rubbing up against his friend who had shifted back into a black wolf. Said wolf seemed to grin happily, tongue hanging loose from his jaw. Ember, however, was staring at Sans.

“Do you really think you can repair the severed monsters and their daemons? It’s one thing to do it with someone who never truly died and had always been connected to their daemon, it's another to do it with someone who was completely severed.” She said. The small skeleton gazed at the red head with his gold and gray eye lights.

“I won’t know until I try and see their bonds for myself.” He stated.

“Then I trust you.” Ember bowed her head making him smile. He could only hope her trust would be enough to help him through what was to come.


	14. Take the first step

Hospitals were one of the most horrid places in the world, falling just short of the True Labs back in the Underground. If Sans could wrinkle his nose he would be in that second, the putrid stench of bleach and other cleaning products slowly invading his nasal cavity. Caellian was beside him as a shimmering golden jackal so as not to frighten staff and patients with his settled form. The daemon, unlike his counterpart, did have the ability to wrinkle his nose and took full advantage of it in that moment. Behind them, their family followed with nervous looks on their faces.

Frost and Caedmon, however, were still outside. They had taken one look at the hospital and turned a shade of white that looked sickly even for them. Ember had patted Frost on the shoulder, sent her a calming smile before following the monster’s inside, Gallian staying behind with the pair. 

“They have something against hospitals?” Caellian asked to which Ember tensed slightly.

“Let’s just say Frost has seen a lot of her family members in them before they died.” She muttered uncomfortably. She tugged at her fingerless black gloves, a nervous habit that she had never been able to lose. Her words, however, were enough to stop Caellian from digging. From what they had briefly glimpsed of Frost’s past they knew she was still deeply hurting over the loss of her family.

“Did you lose your family as well?” Sans couldn’t help but ask. Ember glanced at him but she didn’t look angry at his question.

“Frost and I grew up together in the same town. When she left I followed. My family understood that wherever one went the other would go as well so they let me go without a word. I do still keep in contact but it's limited for both their safety and for our organization's safety.” The red haired human explained. 

Sans gazed up at the teen, eye lights troubled. He couldn’t imagine leaving his friends like Ember had left her family. To have limited contact for the rest of you life with those you love sounded harsh and way too costly. He wondered how she could have possibly made that choice until he felt a tug on his bond causing gold and gray eye lights to flick up into Caellian’s matching eyes. The Jackal was smiling in a knowing way as he nodded his head back to the girl. Sans was confused which had the daemon chuckling softly.

“My dear boy, remember that love is a powerful motivator,” Caellian muttered making Sans suddenly breath in understanding as the pieces fell into place. The skeleton looked back at Ember who had a light blush gracing her cheeks and smiled.

“She’s lucky to have you then.” Sans bowed his head in respect showing full acceptance. The human girl blinked before smiling softly, reaching up to shove the smaller’s shoulder.

“Like I didn’t know that already.”

It was easy to fall back into place after that, the comfortable banter and sibling like teasing falling easily off their tounges. It almost distracted Sans and Caellian from the task at hand, almost. Entering the ward instantly brought them back to reality. The way the air sat heavy in the hallways, the Dust that surrounded the area, it all screamed of something wrong and detached with those that were kept there. Seeing them, however, was a different story altogether.

The first monster was a female dragon-like monster. She was a light orange in colour with soft yellow hair with horns jutting out of her head. Her eyes, that normally would have been a bright sparkling purple, were a dull almost dead shade of the colour. She was pale under her scales, breathing slow and almost deliberate. A clipboard at the bottom of her bed had all her information including her name, her daemons name and what its settled form had been.

Name – Amanda  
Age – 17   
Daemon – Similien  
Settled form – Bear  
Family – mother, younger sister and brother (Father deceased)

Sans gazed at the paper, brow bonds furrowing at the details. Caellian was beside him, eyes locked on the monster herself and the crippled bond. It was wilted, the gold turning a dull gray along the edges of what still remained. It would flick every now and then in a random direction as if seeking the other half it so desperately needed before falling limp once more.

“It's different from Asriel and Morrigu’s bond, but we can still work with it.” The jackal declared.

Sans glanced between him and the bond worried, “I hope your right.” His mind wondered to this girls family that must be worried sick about her which left a bitter taste in his mouth.

“Best not to think of those things,” Caellian advised. Sans sniffed but did not comment, walking around the bed to stand beside the dragon monster.

“Amanda? Amanda, can you hear me?” She didn’t react to his voice, just continued to stare straight ahead. Sans hummed, reaching out with a strand of Dust towards her bond that shuddered at the touch. Caellian jumped when Amanda herself took a deep breath, eyes clearing for a few seconds where she gazed pleadingly at them.

“Similien…where is my Similien?” She croaked weakly before falling limp once more. The two males blinked before Sans sighed sadly, looking away from the pitiful sight before him.

“Can you fix her?” Ember asked from the doorway.

Sans glanced between her and Amanda, eye lights uncertain. “I think so. While the shattered bond is different from Asriel’s it is still somewhat similar. However, getting her daemon here to repair the bond is another matter.”

Ember’s eyebrows pinched, lips thinning out. “It’s not going to be just a quick fix then?”

“Sadly no, but then again these things are never so simple,” Caellian growled. The jackal paced back and forth, fur standing on end. Sans rocked back on his heels as he tried to think of what to do next. Briefly, the thought of using the Dust to glimpse possible futures entered his mind but when he reached out to the Dust it pulled back, denying him access to what he wanted. It would seem the path they were on didn’t wish to risk being changed.

“We can’t rely on future sight for everything.” Caellian pointed out gently. 

“Would have been helpful though cause at least then we’d know where to start looking for the Shades.” Sans tugged at his hoodie strings in agitation as he too began to pace. 

“Maybe we can dig up some files on them.” Ember suggested but Sans shook his head.

“This is bigger than prejudice against monsters. If there are files located on a hard drive they will be well protected with firewalls even Lucas won’t be able to crack.”

“Well then what do you suggest? Are we just gonna sit around till they find us?” Ember huffed, smoke blowing out of her mouth as she did so give her the appearance of a dragon. Sans opened his mouth to retort when his eyes sudden noted the Dust particles in the air and how they were moving in an odd pattern. They were moving along the wall, seemingly following a hidden magnet. It only took a few seconds for this to register and for the pieces to fall into place.

“I don’t think we’ll be sitting for much longer.” He whispered.

“What are you – ” Ember broke off as terrified screams began to rip through the air followed by the sound of shattering glass. Her sky blue eyes widened in shock before hardening into burning pits. “Vacations over, come on.”

She sprinted out the door and down the hallway, Sans rolling his eye lights but moving to follow only to have a weak yet firm hand grab hold of his arm, halting his movements. Turning found Amanda staring at him pleadingly, a light that hadn’t been there before suddenly shining deep within her eyes.

“Please…bring him back.” She whimpered softly.

“I’ll try.” Sans nodded but her grip only grew stronger.

“Promise me, Judge…promise me.” Her voice hitched in the middle, tears welling up and rolling down her face. Sans tensed at her words, Caellian rumbling nervously by his side. “Please promise me.”

“I…I promise.” Sans bowed his head trying to ignore the hiss Caellian gave him. Promises were something they took seriously, they never made one unless they were serious about keeping it. Amanda smiled, hand releasing her grip on his arm and falling limply by her side. It was almost like in that moment she had been herself and that some of the life had returned to her. Sans knew this should fill him with confidence but hearing the distant screams echoing down the hallway it only left him feeling cold inside.

“Come, Sans, we need to help.” Caellian urged, pulling on his sleeve. The daemon had changed, becoming his settled form seeing how the hospital had enlarged doors and hallways to accommodate all manner of daemons for their patients and staff. 

Moving quickly, Sans and Caellian rushed through the hallways, passing panicked humans and monsters alike that were running without purpose. A young man with black hair ran past, dressed in hospital staff clothes and he had a large gash on his head that was gushing blood. The sight had both skeleton’s eyes widening in surprise having not expected the Shades to attack the humans.

“Why would whoever this is be attacking humans and monsters? It doesn’t make sense.” Sans asked, ducking just in time to avoid being tackled by a Shade that resembled a hyena. Turning on his heels Sans summoned up a wall of bones, blocking its path to allow the staff and patients time to flee.

“Whoever it is seems to have a different agenda than causing war among humans and monsters,” Caellian growled before firing a blast at the Shade, eye lights narrowing when he saw that the white magic was now stained with not only gold but gray as well. 

The Shade snarled, leaping forward only to crash into the far wall when Sans and Caellian teleported, appearing down the other end of the hallway. Lifting his hand, Sans created a second wall of bones, trapping the Shade in the hallway. He knew it wouldn’t hold it forever but it would buy them all time. They ran down the corridors, slipping past screaming people while trying to find where the center of the chaos was happening. They found it in the lobby of the critical ward unit where their family and friends were fighting off a hoard of Shades. Frost and Caedmon were among them, pale-faced but determined.

“Over there.” Caellian suddenly hissed, jerking his head to the right. Turning, Sans found himself staring at a Shade that resembled something very familiar.   
“Risa.” He whispered softly.

“Look beside her.” Caellian urged. 

It took great effort to tear his eyes away from his twins daemon, or at least what was left of her, but when he did they widened in shock. “Amanda’s daemon.”

The bear was massive beside Amarisa, it’s pure white eyes sending shivered up their spines. Its jaw hung open, low demonic growls constantly escaping from its mouth as it panted heavily. The tendrils on its back whipped back and forth violently as if they were expressing its anger and hatred to the world.

“We need to find a way to lead it back to Amanda’s room,” Caellian muttered which had Sans sending him a sharp look.

“You think it wise having that thing close to her when she can barely move?”

Caellian raised an eye ridge at his other half. “They need to be close together or we won’t be able to fix their bond.”

“I know that I just wish we had a more controlled environment than this,” Sans growled as he summoned Gaster Blaster’s to aid his family in their fight. Throughout it all, he made sure never to turn his deadly weapon on Amarisa, no matter what he would never hurt her.

“Beggers can’t be choosers.” Caellian snapped right back, using his massive body to slam a Cape Buffalo Shade into the far wall. A wall of fire rushed past them as Asgore, Toriel and Ember charged at a lion, tiger and stag Shade. Gallian had changed, becoming a vengeful maroon dragon about the size of a small horse and beside him was a snow white dragon. As the tree fire magic users rushed past Frost followed in their wake, controlling the temperature to keep the building from catching alight. A battle cry signaled Undyne’s presence, glowing blue spears raining down from the air or springing up from the ground as she howled and cackled like a madwoman. It was complete madness yet somehow Sans managed to duck between the battles towards the bear, his hands lighting up with golden light as Dust began to accumulate into long whips. Twirling them about like a stockman, Sans thrust out his left hand, striking the bear Shade across the face. 

It was an interesting reaction when the two opposite forces collided. An almost electrical spark ignited where contact had been made, sending a jolt up the whip and in turn up Sans’ arm. It didn’t hurt him, just felt odd and slightly wrong. The Shade, however, howled in agony, rearing up in bloodthirsty rage as those pure white eyes locked onto the small skeleton.

“I think we got his attention.” Caellian rumbled worriedly, shrinking down so he could sit on his boy’s shoulder as a shimmering gold European polecat. He clung there as Sans turned and ran for all he was worth. The Shade screamed in fury, pounding after them. Frost and Ember saw and yelled their names, eyes wide and horrified but they didn’t stop or turn around. The power to teleport was there if they needed it but was grow mute, their magic weakening as Sans kept his Blaster’s formed in the lobby to aid in the fight. The sound of tiled floor boards cracking and windows shattering followed them as they sprinted for the Ward where Amanda lay. In a way it was like running in slow motion, Sans turning with terror beginning to creep onto his face as the bear drew closer, eyes wild and out for blood. The Shade screamed again, the sound reverberating inside Sans’ rib cage. The Terror grew when an answering scream sounded from the other end of the corridor.

Standing in their path, effectively trapping them was the hyena Shade. Sans froze, Caellian chittering in in panic on his shoulder. It was a standstill now, the two Shades hissing and growling while Sans kept turning his head back and forth in a panic. When it finally broke it was the hyena that charged first followed by the bear. Sans pulled up a wall of bones between himself and the hyena, turning quickly to face the bear with his whips but it was too close, had moved faster than he anticipated. 

For a split second Sans and Caellian truly believed they were about to die, about to turn to Dust, about to leave their family behind to fight the war alone. It would have happened if an arrow hadn’t suddenly struck the bear in the neck making it veer off to the left with a loud bellow of pain. Sans stepped back, breathing quickly and eye lights blow wide in shock. Caellian changed, body contorting into a burning golden polar bear in case the bear got up and turned on them.

“Are you alright?” The voice had them jerking their heads up in surprise that grew when they saw their savior. It was a human, a female human with long black hair, deathly pale skin and dressed in a dark purple dress with no shoes. Clasped tightly in her left hand was a branch of some kind shape like a bow.

“You’re a Witch.” Sans breathed in awe. Witches, besides those that had an Alpha Soul, were the only humans left who possessed magic. Witches, however, had the magic of the earth, the old magic that even monsters had long forgotten. Standing before her, Sans could feel the power radiating off her in waves, could see the way Dust swam around her in an almost possessive fashion.

“I am Soul Reader and you must hurry if you wish to join the girl and bear together once more.” The Witch urged. Sans blinked, eyes traveling to the side where the bear Shade lay right in the doorway of Amanda’s room. The arrow was sticking out of its shoulder but there was no blood, only a white glow.

“The spell won’t hold on for much longer Soul Reader, you must act now.” The Witch cried snapping both monster and daemon into action. Lifting his hands, Sans began his strange dance, hands weaving the Dust back together and pouring his energy into every movement. When he’d done this with Asriel and Morrigu the wolf had slowly formed back into a solid shape. With the Shade it was different. The creature howled in fury, thrashing to escape the Dust that was slowly peeling away at the blackness that had stained the soul. With each weave of his hand, Sans pulled more and more of the corruption away, leaving behind the purity that had been buried underneath. Midnight black gave way to soft sun-kissed brown. Pure white eyes faded, turning into deep chocolate brown as the black tendrils burst into clouds of Dust. 

There was a loud gasp from the bed as Amanda suddenly sat up, her eyes alight with new found strength and fire. She rolled off the side, dragging herself towards her other half who was sobbing in relief. When they touched Sans severed his connection with them, watching as the bond finally healed, knitting itself back together.

“Similien…I feel you.” Amanda breathed, cupping the bears face in her hands.

“And I you.” He rumbled back. 

Their eyes closed, foreheads coming to rest against each other until Amanda pulled back to look Sans in the eye. “Thank you.”

The small skeleton hummed, bow his head before backing out of the room. Caellian chuffed softly beside him as a deep golden tiger only his eyes were locked on their savior. The Witch stood before them, her Cloud Pine branch held tightly in her right hand.

“Thank you for saving us,” Caellian said. The Witch smiled at him, bowing her head before floating towards a window and out it.

“Wait! We don’t even know your name!” Sans called after her. 

“And you don’t need it Soul Reader. Our paths will cross again and when they do, all shall become clear.” The Witch called back before flying off leaving behind more questions that Sans wasn’t sure he wanted answers too.


End file.
